CAREERS: Y&R revives strategy training for team

SINGAPORE: Dentsu Young & Rubicam (DY&R) will be spending Sdollars 300,000 (USdollars 165,426) this year on three seminars to help middle managers in its Asia-Pacific offices learn about a new strategic planning process called 3D Planning. Most multinational agencies have systems in place so their strategy planners around the world use the same techniques and methodologies to evaluate brands and develop marketing strategies. "In the past Y&R never had one strategy philosophy," says Brian Harrison, chairman of DY&R in Singapore. Harrison is responsible for introducing 3D Planning to DY&R offices in this region. "But we decided to not just teach a new way of doing strategy but also revive some of the training programmes we had in the past." In addition to 3D Planning, the seminars cover agency remuneration and how to be a "good leader". Seminar attendees have been with Y&R for two to three years and hold middle management positions in either strategy planning, creative, account service or media. They have proven to be committed to staying at Y&R, said Harrison. Many have also just made the move into management and now have people reporting to them. "It's important they know how to manage people and understand about agency finances because at the end of the day we are a business that needs to turn a profit," said Harrison. He said the investment in training is also being made to boost staff morale and to reduce staff turnover. "When people come back from the training seminars their enthusiasm spreads throughout the agency. "People want to work in an agency that is exciting and where they feel they're being helped to progress in their careers," he added. The first seminar was held in Bangkok at the end of March and the next two are scheduled for July and October. About 29 middle managers across the region attended the first seminar, which included lectures and workshops. Lecturers included: Mickey Donnelly, Y&R head trainer based in New York; Harrison; Zareen Desai, Y&R regional director for strategic intelligence; Keith Oliver, DY&R chief financial officer; Michael Jones, executive media director for Y&R's media agency The Media Edge; David Jenkinson, Y&R regional planning director; Patrick Low, DY&R executive creative director in Singapore and Dolchai Boonyaratevej, DY&R Thailand chairman and chief executive.

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