Chris Riley departs Ogilvy after 25 years

Ogilvy announced that Chris Riley, Ogilvy Singapore CEO and group chairman for Singapore and Malaysia for the last six years, will depart the agency.

The move is entirely a personal decision; Riley is moving to the US to take up an opportunity in the "transport/tech sector", according to the agency. 

Kent Wertime, co-CEO for Ogilvy Asia, will take on the group chairman role for Ogilvy Singapore and Malaysia, and the agency said a new Singapore CEO will be named shortly.

Announcements on "further senior appointments in Singapore" will be made in due course, the agency added.

Riley originally joined Ogilvy Hong Kong in 1995 and went on to hold several roles including managing the experience business in Hong Kong and leading the growth of IBM across 147 growth markets. He was made group chairman for Singapore six years ago, and Malaysia was added to his remit in 2020.

Wertime and Riley will be working closely to manage the transition smoothly. Ogilvy said.

“I’ve worked closely with Chris for over two decades and would like to thank him for his many contributions to Ogilvy," Wertime said. "He has been a true example of Ogilvy at its best. We will miss him but wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

Riley said, “I’m eternally grateful to Ogilvy for providing such stimulating career opportunities which I’ve thoroughly embraced. I’ve worked with fantastic clients, colleagues and friends, and now have an opportunity to apply my skills and experience to something completely new and different.”