MEDIA CAREERS: JWT's Chiu joins exodus of admen moving into careers with dotcoms

<p>Mr Conrad Chiu, who steered J. Walter Thompson's Hong Kong and </p><p>south China operations during one of the most tumultuous periods in the </p><p>region, is leaving the agency and will be replaced by long-time adman </p><p>William Lau. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The managing director for JWT Hong Kong and south China and </p><p>vice-president for international operations will leave the agency at the </p><p>end of August after 12 years, joining the ad industry exodus to the </p><p>digital world. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Chiu has signed up with start-up digital marketing solutions provider </p><p>e-Media Planners International (e-MPI) as chief executive officer. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Although happy with JWT, Mr Chiu said he felt it was time to leave as </p><p>the agency's direction was different from what he wanted to do. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It's not that Thompson doesn't believe in it; it's very much the </p><p>infrastructure. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But they can't do it overnight," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>His replacement, Mr Lau, was until recently managing director of Jaguar </p><p>Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Lau is already on board as chief executive officer for a handover </p><p>period of about two months. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I was at the point where I had to either reinvent myself - that is go </p><p>into the I-field - or remain in the car business, where I would do a few </p><p>more brands that would have given me some sort of challenge," Mr Lau </p><p>told MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I finally decided to return to where I had the most equity." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Prior to his emigration to Canada in the mid-'80s, Mr Lau was deputy </p><p>managing director of Young & Rubicam in Hong Kong and oversaw its merger </p><p>with Dentsu, then the first venture of its kind for the once-independent </p><p>network. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He also helped set up Y&R's office in Bangkok, before joining Y&R's </p><p>agency in Toronto, where he later established a car dealership for </p><p>Honda's Acura after working on the brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Lau returned to Hong Kong in 1994 and joined Jaguar to help </p><p>re-establish the brand, which he said was now one of the top three auto </p><p>brands in the minds of Hong Kong consumers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>His move to JWT was also prompted by poor prospects in the auto </p><p>category, which suffered a heavy body blow during the Asian crisis. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It's difficult to see the business going back to the boom days of 1996 </p><p>and early '97," Mr Lau said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The growth areas will be in the low-medium segments especially with the </p><p>opening up of new areas in the New Territories, where public </p><p>transportation is not yet serving these areas." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While prospects are brighter in the agency business, he said the job </p><p>ahead was still a big one, "building on what Conrad has done" with </p><p>clients and staff. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Business is picking up, but it could become a problem if we don't have </p><p>enough good people. But fewer people are interested in advertising, </p><p>which appears to have lost some of its glamour to cyber careers." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>JWT's client list now includes some of Hong Kong's biggest brand names, </p><p>including Hang Seng Bank, San Miguel and tycoon Richard Li's PCCWHKT </p><p>(formerly Cable & Wireless HKT). </p><p><BR><BR> </p>