ECD duo jumps from Ogilvy to Publicis Worldwide

Lim was creative director and Loke was creative director and group head of art at Ogilvy & Mather Singapore. The two served as joint creative leads for accounts including BMW; KFC; Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth; National Environment Agency; Singapore Sports Council; Health Promotion Board; Kimberly-Clarke and GlaxoSmithKline. They will start at Publicis on 4 January.

Bringing in Lim and Loke has significance at a local and regional level, Loris Nold, the agency's CEO for Asia Pacific, Africa, Israel and Turkey, told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "First, they will be working on global brands whose work is originated in Singapore, including Accor and Sanofi, for example." They will also be leading creative development for regional and local clients, he added, citing Scoot as an example of a home-grown brand with a regional remit, and AXA and Audi as purely local examples.

"The common denominator of these clients is their shared ambition of excellence—creating work that is both transformative and effective at the same time," Nold said. "Creative pedigree is obviously hugely important, but we are also attracting change agents who will help lead the marketing transformation of our clients." 

Ajay Thrivikraman was the last to serve as the Singapore office's ECD; the agency did not fill the role after his elevation to CCO for Southeast Asia in 2013. In July he was promoted to global client chief creative officer for Asia Pacific, reporting to Nold.

"We asked Ajay to take on that role as he is a great talent and our priority is to deliver iconic work for our global clients," including P&G and Citi, Nold said.

Lim and Loke's anti-smoking campaign "I QUIT" (see below) won Effies and IPA Gold for the Health Promotion Board, and they have collectively won more than 30 Cannes Lions through their careers. Their recent mobile marketing campaign for SingTel won a Yellow Pencil at D&AD.

“This dynamic team further strengthens us and is in line with our global vision to attract the very best talent to lead the change for our clients,” said Publicis Singapore CEO Lou Dela Pena.

"It is incumbent on us to reinvent the way we work to deliver the kind of transformative ideas and innovative solutions that will challenge the status quo," Lim said. Loke added that Publicis Singapore has "great ambition and passion to lead the change".

Fiona Gordon, group chairman at Ogilvy & Mather Singapore said the agency enjoyed having Lim on its team for the past nine years, and Loke for the past five. "We have nothing but best wishes and thanks for them both as they move onto their next adventure," she said. The company declined to comment on progress toward filling the men's roles.