Rao will retain his current role, reporting to India-based CEO Anil Kapoor, but will be based out of Jakarta in order to spend more time managing the office of 120 employees, he said.
“We have a large and growing operation in Indonesia. I already spend 3-4 days a week there anyway,” said Rao. “The timing was more about when my family was moving.”
The Indonesian office recently picked up the lucrative Sinar Mas telco account, according to a source, although Rao declined to comment on the win. Rao will also spend more time in Draft’s Malaysia office, which he said has a headcount of 100.
“DraftFCB will concentrate on the big population markets where business is good, like India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia.” Meanwhile long-time general manager Caroline Lim will lead the Singapore office, which has reportedly shrunk to 10 full-time employees following the loss of Motorola in March.
According to Rao neighbouring offices in India, Malaysia and Indonesia will support the Singapore operation, which continues to service recent wins such as Royal Caribbean International cruises and Dockers.
