Potzman's appointment follows the setting up of a new account group to spearhead this business expansion and boost perception of the agency's global positioning.
At the moment, Japanese companies account for 70 per cent of the agency's Singapore billings, according to its managing director, Anthony Kang.
"However, of the 54 staff employed by the agency in Singapore, only three are Japanese. The majority of our employees are non-Japanese; they are Americans, Australians, British, Malaysians or from Hong Kong. The problem is that many people see us as a Japanese agency, but we are global," said Kang.
Potzman, who most recently worked at Ad Grand as creative director, will be tasked with changing that perception and balancing the agency's mix of Japanese and non-Japanese clients to a 50-50 ratio.
The agency's target is to bring in US$10 million worth of new business this year. "We will aim to gain new clients with sizeable budgets of half a million up," added Kang.
Potzman started his career in New York before moving to Hong Kong, where he worked at DDB Hong Kong and Grey Advertising. He relocated to Singapore in 1988, first as creative director at CAM-Asatsu, and later as managing director of Ad Venture.
"Tom is going to double as a business director and all new business will come under his portfolio. He has been creative director at two agencies and his experience covers all aspects of the agency's business from client management to creative and strategic. His strategic planning and creative skills will be a good asset in view of our business roles," said Kang.