Ted Lim joins Leo Burnett Singapore as CCO

Ted Lim has been appointed Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett Singapore. Lim, one of the most reputable creative leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, was with Naga DDB for two decades before leaving to start his own marketing communications agency WANTED.

Commenting on the appointment John Kyriakou, CEO, Leo Burnett Group Singapore said, ” In filling this role, we conducted a very thorough search for someone who is aligned with our focus on creativity and innovation. I spoke to a number of great candidates and was heartened to receive tremendous interest from around the world. With the help of Mark Tutssel, we finally decided on Ted Lim, from just across the border in Malaysia. Ted has all the qualities we looked for in a CCO. He has the respect of all the clients and agencies he has worked with, and is a naturally gifted creative talent who knows how to win when it comes to business and awards. He has nurtured many successful creative directors along the way, which are the best testaments to his strengths in building departments and individuals. Beyond all that, he’s just a genuinely nice guy. I have now spent quite some time with Ted and I couldn’t be more thrilled. He really is the right person at the right time for us.”

“Ted is one of the most respected creative leaders in the Asia Pacific region. He is an outstanding talent, with real business acumen. I am delighted he is joining Leo Burnett”, said Mark Tutssel, Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide.

“Singapore is definitely one of the most important markets in the region. Our office here plays a very strategic role for our key clients. We need mature and well-rounded creative leader to oversee our talented team and deliver against high expectations. With Ted’s impressive track record, I am confident that he will lead Leo Burnett Singapore to realize greater creative ambitions and business growth. He will also be a valuable addition to our Global Product Committee team which has led us to consistent success creatively across the globe.” said Jarek Ziebinski, President, Leo Burnett Asia Pacific.

An English Literature graduate, Lim joins Leo Burnett from his own marketing communications agency WANTED which worked with clients, creative, digital, design, media and production agencies in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Sydney. Prior to that, he spent 20 years with Naga DDB in Malaysia, helping the agency to win and grow over 50 accounts including DiGi, Perodua, Panasonic, Astro, Nippon Paint, Tourism Malaysia, Carlsberg, Mamee, BMW, Malaysia Airlines, Hong Leong Bank and Prudential Assurance.

The bread-and-award winner led Naga DDB to three Agency of the Year titles on the back of Malaysia’s first D&AD Yellow Pencil, 5 Cannes Lions, 4 Clio Awards, 2 One Show Pencils, the country’s only Asia-Pacific Effie, numerous AdFest and Spikes trophies. Naga DDB is Malaysia’s most consistently awarded ad agency in the last decade.

One of the most respected executive creative directors in the Asia-Pacific region, Lim has chaired and judged prestigious advertising award shows in New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo and Istanbul.   

He headed the Malaysian Chapter of AWARD School and lectured at DDB University. Copywriters and art directors who worked with him are now creative directors in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. The New York-based One Club appointed him recently as their ambassador for The One Show in Malaysia.