Dentsu Asia-Pacific has appointed Prakash Kamdar as chief executive officer in Indonesia, in addition to his current role as CEO of Dentsu Singapore. He replaces Maya Watono, who is leaving at the end of January to take on a role in a newly established holding company for Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises, focusing on the development and promotion of the country's cultural, tourism, and aviation assets.
Watono joined Dentsu in 2017 through the acquisition of Dwi Sapta where she was managing director. She was promoted to CEO of Dentsu Indonesia in January 2019. She was a member of Campaign Asia-Pacific's 40 Under 40 in 2019.
Wendy Clark, global CEO of Dentsu International, recognised Watono's contribution to the network in Indonesia. “[Dentsu Indonesia is] recognised as one of the strongest agencies in the market, working with 15 out of Indonesia’s top 20 biggest advertisers,” Clark said in a release.
Watono cited patriotism as the reason for the change. "Personally, it has been my greatest desire to someday serve my country, and that day has come," she said. "And I leave with a huge amount of confidence and assurance that the baton is now passed over to a proven and well-loved leader that I respect."
Kamdar joined the network through the acquisition of his digital agency, The Upper Storey, in 2012, and was appointed CEO of Isobar Singapore. He was promoted to CEO of Dentsu Singapore in 2019.
He will be aided in his role by two new promotions to the Dentsu Indonesia executive team: Wisnu Satya Putra to CEO of the creative service line and Arshad Rahman to CEO of the CXM service line. Kamdar will commence his new role on February 1. Putra and Rahman's appointments are effective immediately.
