The shake-up at the advertising agency has resulted in the departure of some executives, including senior managers. Lee, the former executive creative director of FCB Malaysia, replaces Dentsu chief operating officer Kenneth Wong and executive creative director Alex Sum.
Lee said: "In Kuala Lumpur, (Dentsu) is close to invisible. People don't know Dentsu and, if they did, they don't know what to think of it. When you flash the facts about Dentsu's heritage and network, people go 'wow, I didn't know that'.
"So, it's clear what needs to be done. And the way to do it is with better work. Dentsu is a good but low-profile brand."
According to a source, while Dentsu has been "humming along, they need to exert themselves more to be competitive in the market. They are trying to do the same in Singapore and India".
Lee, who worked at Bates Malaysia from 1992 to 1997 as group head, was senior copywriter at Dentsu Young and Rubicam until 1991 and spent six years at FCB before taking up his new post at Dentsu Malaysia.