As Ogilvy’s worldwide creative director and chairman of the creative council, Tham will preside over all global creative duties for Ogilvy and OgilvyOne, leading the network’s eight council members.
His appointment is understood to mark the first time an Asian creative will have global network responsibilities.
Tham is the second senior Ogilvy executive to leave Asia for the US. He will join global chief executive officer Miles Young, former Ogilvy Asia-Pacific chairman, at the network’s New York office on 1 January.
“Miles and I have seen some successes, both business and creative. The challenge now is to get right up to the top of the tree globally.
“The financial climate is brutal and we will have to be very targeted on the awards we enter with limited budgets. The trick is to have a few offices that fly the flag for you. In Asia, we have Singapore, Mumbai and Bangkok.”
The question of who will follow in the footsteps of Tham - a pillar in the Asian creative industry - will be hotly debated. “We have a lot of good people internally, and an announcement will be made shortly,” he noted.
Tham’s career includes stints in London and Chicago. He joined Ogilvy Asia-Pacific in 1999. In 2005 he was elected to the worldwide board.
Under Tham’s leadership, the network has risen through the regional creative rankings to be crowned Creative Network of the Year by Campaign Brief Asia for seven consecutive years (2001 to 2008), with Tham named Creative Director of the Year. The Asian network contributed to more than 47 per cent of Ogilvy’s advertising award tally, according to the Gunn Report.
“We have been in the trenches here and we have seen Asian work exported. Now it’s talent being shared,” said Tham. “Obama and I will start at the same time. Change is coming to America.”
His appointment is understood to mark the first time an Asian creative will have global network responsibilities.
Tham is the second senior Ogilvy executive to leave Asia for the US. He will join global chief executive officer Miles Young, former Ogilvy Asia-Pacific chairman, at the network’s New York office on 1 January.
“Miles and I have seen some successes, both business and creative. The challenge now is to get right up to the top of the tree globally.
“The financial climate is brutal and we will have to be very targeted on the awards we enter with limited budgets. The trick is to have a few offices that fly the flag for you. In Asia, we have Singapore, Mumbai and Bangkok.”
The question of who will follow in the footsteps of Tham - a pillar in the Asian creative industry - will be hotly debated. “We have a lot of good people internally, and an announcement will be made shortly,” he noted.
Tham’s career includes stints in London and Chicago. He joined Ogilvy Asia-Pacific in 1999. In 2005 he was elected to the worldwide board.
Under Tham’s leadership, the network has risen through the regional creative rankings to be crowned Creative Network of the Year by Campaign Brief Asia for seven consecutive years (2001 to 2008), with Tham named Creative Director of the Year. The Asian network contributed to more than 47 per cent of Ogilvy’s advertising award tally, according to the Gunn Report.
“We have been in the trenches here and we have seen Asian work exported. Now it’s talent being shared,” said Tham. “Obama and I will start at the same time. Change is coming to America.”
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