Proximity Malaysia promotes Amit Sutha to General Manager and adds two senior hires

BBDO/Proximity Malaysia has announced three senior appointments in a move to enhance creative capabilities of its digital arm Proximity. Amit Sutha is now General Manager of Proximity, while retaining his Head of Planning role.

Sutha’s first order of business was to assemble Proximity’s core leadership team by appointing Marlo Ongpin as Proximity Head of Digital and Martin Ng as head of creative. The team will be servicing KFC, U Mobile, RHB, Mars, Pedigree, Visa, SCJohnson and British Council brand portfolios.

On the new leadership team, BBDO/Proximity Malaysia Managing Director Michelle Achuthan said, “Amit’s appointment and the recent hires of Marlo and Martin to form our core leadership team is a strategic move on our part. It is clear to us that the most important element in building a successful ‘communications business’ is talent. We are taking extra pains to hire the right kind of talent.”

Sutha brings with him over 17 years of work experience with a multi-faceted career ranging from strategy planning, brand consulting to media planning, digital strategy and B2B sales. In his new added role, he plans to hone Proximity, the digital, social and mobile communications agency into a “one-on-one communication powerhouse that brings brands closer to people, and people closer to brands.”

“We want to do integrated work — our objective is not just to create great websites, social pages, or restrict ourselves to the Internet and digital arena. Our objective is to bring together multi-level campaigns, fluid marketing and advertising programs that uses all forms of one-to-one communication,” Sutha said.

Also on Proximity’s top agenda is to add on capabilities like direct marketing, shopper marketing, CRM, analytics, content creation and events. According to Sutha, “We do not want to simply create advertising (digital or otherwise), we want to create content: content that people want to spend time with. Time is the most important currency that our consumers have.”

Starting off his career as an industrial economist, Ongpin has climbed the corporate ladder in digital marketing over the years. With his work spanning across Asia in various roles, Ongpin was previously a Digital Entrepreneur in Manila before accepting his position as Head of Digital BBDO/Proximity Malaysia.

While Ng has spent his decade-long career into digital creativity and built his reputation in the industry with his work on well-established brands such as Maxis, Nokia, Heineken, Levi’s and CIMB. Prior to being appointed Head of Creative for Proximity, he was attached to OgilvyOne. Ng is also the co-founder of the popular fashion site Pestle & Mortar.