The exodus occurred after Jeffrey Feng quit as the national general manager of the Guangzhou-based Bates China Dahua joint-venture to set up his own shop, with representative offices in Shanghai and Beijing. It is not known what prompted Feng, who worked with Bates for seven years, to resign.
Feng would only say: "I will set up a totally new shop providing creative and media services by the end of September." Sources said that more than 20 people followed Feng out the door, including group creative director David Tang. The number represents about 10 per cent of Bates Shanghai's team. Bates has about 300 people in China.
The resignations come as WPP announced it would keep Bates as a standalone agency after buying parent company Cordiant. One source said: "Luckily, people at Bates Beijing and Guangzhou didn't jump ship too. (Bates' Greater China director Barry) Leung is still heading the China operations." Leung himself refused comment on the walkout, but said: "We are still working fine. And I have no intention of leaving the agency just now."