The reshuffle also sees Korn Tepintarapiraksa take up the role of executive creative director, Wisit Lumsiricharoenchoke and Karanee Areekul as deputy ECDs and Malee Sawatpratanchai as traffic manager.
Punnee will tend the group's golden goose - O&M Advertising contributes 70 per cent to the group's billings in the country - after 16 years with the agency: first as account executive, then client services director and later strategic planning director.
"I am very impressed by the talent in this agency, but I am not convinced that we have been making the most of it, says Tim Isaac, chairman of the Ogilvy Group in Thailand. "Khun Punnee's main role is to release all that talent efficiently and productively. Isaac says he has had time since taking over earlier this year "to watch, listen and consider".
"The time has now come when I believe I know the team and their talents well enough to make these changes, he says. "They will be good for us, and for our clients."
Punnee inherits an agency with a staff of 200 and 39 accounts, including Unilever brands Ponds, Dove and Comfort farbric softener, which together contribute 20 per cent of billings. She also gets a new executive creative director, Korn, the first local to be appointed to the position.
"We have very high calibre people here - in the last two years, we've won a lot of awards. I want to encourage them, bring back energy into the company and stay on top, she says.
The years following the 1997 crisis have been difficult for the industry with agencies closing down and fees being cut, she says.
Punnee expects billings to be up 10 per cent this year to 2.9 billion baht (about US$69 million). So far, O&M has clinched five new accounts this year, including Malee fruit tea and Siemens washing machines. Elsewhere in the group, Chutharat will retain her position as Ogilvy PR managing director, in addition to directing the group's business development and human resource management in her capacity as vice-chairman.
Witawat, meanwhile, will move on to be the group's chief strategy officer.
