R/GA announced that Seamus Higgins, previously ECD at Host/Havas, will take on a newly created role as VP and APAC chief creative officer, starting in April.
In addition, R/GA made two internal promotions into new regional ECD roles. Robert Chalmers, previously Australia ECD, becomes ECD and head of experience design for APAC, while Niklas Lilja, previously Tokyo ECD, becomes ECD and head of stories for APAC.
Higgins will have overarching creative leadership for the agency’s Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, and Melbourne offices. His pedigree includes 10 D&AD pencils (including two black), three Cannes Lions Grand Prix (including Titanium), and two Grand Clios. While he was ECD at Host/Havas, the agency won Spikes Asia Agency of the Year and a No. 7 ranking in the Cannes Lions 2018 Global Creativity Report.
“Seamus has built his career championing ideas that often don’t feel like advertising, and ensuring uncompromising craft when it comes to their delivery,” Tuomas Peltoniemi, R/GA's EVP and APAC managing director, said in a media release.
Global CEO Sean Lyons said R/GA is growing at speed in APAC, having opened two new offices in as many years and racking up "a host of new business wins and organic growth from long-standing relationships". APAC is poised to grow further by bringing in a talent of Higgins' caliber, he added.
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