Business

Saturday February 18, 2012

Experienced leadership to see BBDO grow businesses

By EUGENE MAHALINGAM
eugenicz@thestar.com.my


JENNIFER Chan, who was recently appointed BBDO/Proximity Malaysia emeritus chairman, will continue to look for opportunities in the branding and advertising industry be it Malaysia or the region.

“I have extensive experience. I've been in the branding and advertising industry for over 30 years! I joined when I was five years old, you know!” she quips.

However, jokes aside, she says “a number of parties” had approached her for potential opportunities in the near future.

Chan: ‘It was a very hectic 2011! But because we were so busy, it also meant that it was an interesting year.’

“I'm not just looking to build brands but also to grow businesses,” Chan says, adding that with her new position now, she is able to “take a step back and have more free time to do what she wants to do.”

Chan, formerly the group CEO, has been with BBDO/Proximity Malaysia for over 14 years and has significantly grown the agency during that period, winning some of the largest accounts in the region including Maxis-Hotlink, KFC, Pepsi, Fonterra, Johnson & Johnson, and Mars.

She has also helped enhance the agency's creative reputation.

In 2008, BBDO/Proximity Malaysia won the Best of the Best at the Kancil, Malaysia's Annual Creative Awards, and was named Agency of the Year.

It won Gold and Silver at Cannes, AdFest and Clios.

The agency was ranked No 13 worldwide and No 8 in Asia by the 2008 Gunn Report.

In her new role, Chan will focus on the group's largest client, KFC, while continuing to play a key mentoring role within the agency.

A memorable moment for Chan last year was when the agency won back the KFC account, the one it had managed for over 19 years but lost about four years ago.

“It was a very busy time for us last year. We were successful in some business pitches and unsuccessful in some others. We also gained new business from existing clients.

“It was a very hectic 2011! But because we were so busy, it also meant that it was an interesting year for us,” says Chan.

Meanwhile, Chan has been succeeded by BBDO's managing director, Michelle Achuthan, who has been with the agency since 2003.

Looking back at her career in the advertising industry, Chan believes that more needs to be done to attract and retain creative talents.

“In my personal opinion, one of the biggest challenges that we are facing is that we are losing a lot of quality talents, either to clients or to agencies overseas.

There needs to be more incentives to attract new talents and retain existing ones.

“In our industry, many talents leave after a few years, either for better salary or exposure,” she says.

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