The move is likely to result in the termination of DY&R's team of more than 28 staff, whose primary focus is to work on the Colgate-Palmolive account in Singapore and the Philippines.
Peter Orban, regional account managing director for Colgate-Palmolive Asia-Pacific, will move to Hong Kong with regional creative director, Adrian Gurson.
"With China joining the WTO there are increased opportunities and in terms of proximity (to China) this makes sense, said Orban. "The brand has a presence in all of Asia, but China is a relatively new market in comparison to other markets like India, where the brand has had a presence since the 1920s."
DY&R set up the team in Hong Kong in 1996 to serve the Colgate-Palmolive account. The unit transferred to Singapore prior to Hong Kong's hand-over to China in 1997. "The headcount (for the Hong Kong team) is still up in the air and we are still going through the motions. It is a disruption to the personal lives (of staff in Singapore and the Philippines). We are looking at taking on about 24 people in Hong Kong, but that may increase in the first few months, said Orban.
