Singapore will remain without a GroupM CEO for now, although the position is "under discussion", according to GroupM Asia Pacific COO Mark Patterson.
"Henry [Tan] was always going to be difficult to replace, but Paul joins us with Henry's blessing," said Patterson. "We wanted someone with plenty of experience under their belt, without having to go through a long transition process."
"Henry [Tan] was always going to be difficult to replace, but Paul joins us with Henry's blessing," said Patterson. "We wanted someone with plenty of experience under their belt, without having to go through a long transition process."
Corrigan joins from Casbaa (the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia), where he was lead advertising consultant, advising the body on pay-TV initiatives.
Prior to Casbaa, Corrigan ran Starcom for six years of a 12 year term in Asia to date, between 2000 and 2006. Over a 20 year career in media, Corrigan has had stints at Initiative and Carat in the UK.
Henry Tan said: “Paul was a formidable competitor when he was leading Starcom, and one that I had very high regard for. He knows Malaysia well and Malaysia knows him. He is the most logical choice."
Corrigan will joins with immediate effect, and there will be a handover period until May, when Tan will join the Malaysian broadcasting giant Astro (Media 5 March).
Corrigan commented: "GroupM and Henry are arguably the yardsticks by which other organizations and individuals within the industry in Malaysia measure themselves. As such, when this opportunity arose, it was too tempting a challenge to pass up."
