EUGENE CHEONG TAKES OVER THE TOP CREATIVE ROLE AT OGILVY & MATHER ASIA

Although announced internally two weeks ago the official press release has taken some time to get out but, as this is a significant creative appointment, here it is…

Eugene Cheong will take over the creative helm of Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, as Creative President of the network region wide. Asia’s most lauded and awarded writer, Cheong was the Regional Head of Copy prior to this appointment, and worked closely with Tham Khai Meng, who recently became Worldwide Creative Director of the Ogilvy global network.

“I cannot think of a better person to helm our creative company in Asia Pacific. I have absolutely no doubt that Eugene will thrive in this new pivotal role. He is a creative’s creative, people will want to follow him as they know that he has that innate talent to help them achieve super great things. He will continue to work closely with me to do transformational work for our biggest brands,” says Tham Khai Meng.

A member of the Ogilvy Worldwide Creative Council, Cheong joined Ogilvy & Mather in 1981 and worked in the network’s Singapore and London office for ten years.

In 1991, he left to work for Batey, and wrote ads for iconic Singapore Brands like Singapore Airlines, Raffles Hotel, Tiger Beer and Singapore Tourism Board. 1994 saw him becoming Creative Partner at the creative boutique, the Ball Partnership. A year later, he was made the agency’s Creative Director. In 1996, Cheong returned to Ogilvy & Mather as Head of Copy in the Singapore office.

In the 27 years that Cheong has spent in the industry, he has worked on the biggest brands in every product category: BMW, Guinness, American Express, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Kimberly-Clarke, Johnson & Johnson, Singtel, Microsoft, The Economist, to name but a few. He is also the man behind some of Singapore’s most awarded advertising like East Timor Tourism, Hospice Council and the God campaign.

Cheong has won over 300 international awards and is a frequently asked to judge international awards shows like D&AD, The One Show, Clio and Cannes. Neil French mischievously refers to Cheong as the world’s second best writer. Cheong has four fabulous children and reckons he can write a better speech than President Barack Obama.