Starcom's Lizelle Maralag appointed as president and COO of GMA Marketing in the Philippines

Maralag replaces Meckoy Quiogue who retired at the end of 2009. According to Adobo magazine, she broke the news to her staff on the last working day of December, but kept the industry guessing of her next move.

Maralag has been at her current role since the mid-2000s after a long career with JWT. The media agency recently won Gold for Best Local Campaign and Silver for Best Use of Creative for Unilab’s “Skelan Nationwide Church Invasion” campaign in the first Media Thinking Awards beating entries across Asia-Pacific.

Jeffrey Seah, CEO, Southeast Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group, said: "We would like to wish Lizelle the best as she embarks on a new chapter in her life. To take on one of the biggest marketing jobs in the Philippines is no mean feat, and no one will argue that she is most suited for this role."

"We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Lizelle who has dedicated many years of her energy and passion in building the Starcom Philippines operation from a 16-person outfit to its 150-strong market leadership position today."