Creative agency R/GA will close its Singapore office in November 2025, with all 20 staffers informed a few weeks ago and most affected by the move.
The office was led by general manager Marianne Whitman and managing director of SEA Krishnan Menon, and had KFC Singapore as its flagship client.
In a statement to Campaign Asia-Pacific, chief executive Michael Tishall said the decision was part of a wider shift in strategy.
“At RGA, reinvention has always been core to how we meet the needs of our clients and the market. As part of our renewed business strategy, we’ve carefully reviewed our Singapore operations and made the decision to pivot its role and refocus our efforts in Southeast Asia on our Technology & Creative Production Hub, where client demand is strongest," he said.
"Since becoming independent, we’ve continued to grow globally, building our capabilities in AI products, technology, and design, and recently completing our first acquisition of AI system design and development studio Addition, with more to come.”
Earlier in July, RGA snapped up AI studio Addition, its first acquisition since going independent from parent IPG after 23 years. Addition has built AI solutions for heavyweights like Google, NBCUniversal, Unilever, Prudential, Amazon, and The New York Times.
The shop has been vocal about its AI ambitions and recently rolled out its own AI Search Optimisation Platform and set up a global AI Products Team to further explore tech innovation. On the client side, it’s been experimenting with tools like Veo, Google DeepMind’s generative video model and brands like Google and Moncler to produce experimental AI-driven work.
