Thomas Sutton promoted to Country Advisor at Leo Burnett Indonesia succeeding Steve Bonnell who moves to global leader on Samsung

Thomas Sutton has been promoted to Country Advisor of Leo Burnett Indonesia – succeeding Steve Bonnell, who has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Global Account Director for the Samsung business, based out of Chicago.

“Steve has done a phenomenal job with Leo Burnett Indonesia, an office which has achieved outstanding results both creatively and on the business front,” said Jarek Ziebinski, President, Leo Burnett Asia Pacific. “We are happy for Steve on his promotion, which is truly well-deserved and a testament to the network’s recognition of talent.”

Over the past four years, Leo Burnett Indonesia more than doubled in size, as well as saw its shopper marketing / retail and digital capabilities strengthened. During the same time, the agency also dramatically improved its creative reputation adding numerous accolades to its stable including GOLD Clios and the prestigious 360 Lotus at AdFest.

Continued Ziebinski,” The succession plan could not be more ideal for us as Thomas has been a key partner to Steve in the success story of our Jakarta office. Since he joined the agency just over two years ago, he has played a key role in securing several new high-profile businesses including most recently Tempo Scan Pacific. I have full confidence in him to drive the agency’s ambitious growth plan in Indonesia, one of the most important markets for us in Asia Pacific.”

“Thomas and I have worked together very closely from a management perspective over the past year and co-wrote the agency’s 2012 plan.  As such this transition will be relatively seamless.  It’s reassuring to leave the agency in such good hands and I see a great year for us in Indonesia in 2012,” said Bonnell.

Sutton said, “As South East Asia’s largest market, and the world’s 4th most populous country, not many markets can compare in sheer scale to the opportunities in Indonesia. We have been steadily implementing a strategy to win in this market, investing in the key growth areas of shopper and digital, attracting top-tier talent, and expect excellent results in 2012.”

With a total of 17 years experience in the advertising industry, Sutton was born in Denmark to a Danish mother and British father and moved to Singapore at the age of twelve. After graduating in the UK, his love of Asia brought him back to Singapore.

Sutton has worked in agencies, including Publicis and JWT, in Singapore on a diverse mix of accounts across industries including finance and banking, energy, FMCG, consumer electronics and beauty.

Sutton was Group Account Director on Citibank at Publicis Singapore where he played an instrumental role in developing award-winning global campaigns with results that far surpassed targets for the brand. Before that, Sutton was Group Account Director at JWT Singapore. Key international brands he managed during his five-year tenure with JWT included HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Nestle, Sony and Estee Lauder.

Since joining Leo Burnett Indonesia in August of 2009, Sutton has been instrumental in helping formulate the Agency’s strategy to win in Indonesia. His focus on developing the strength of the business teams and driving integration across disciplines has resulted in significant organic growth and a series of high-profile new business wins.