Cheong, Dabral, Leong, Okamura + Sasaki join The One Club International Board of Directors

The One Club for Creativity has announced five new members from the Asian region to to their International Board of Directors.

Eugene Cheong (pictured left), chief creative officer for Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific and Singapore; Sonal Dabral, group CCO, vice chairman, Ogilvy & Mather India; Leong Wai Foong, chairman, CCO, BBDO Greater China; Masako Okamura, ECD, ASPAC, Dentsu Aegis Network Philippines and Yasuharu Sasaki, ECD, Dentsu Tokyo are the new appointees.

There were nine new appointees to the International Board, with Cheong being the first creative dedicated to representing Singapore.

“I won my first Pencil in 1988,” said Cheong.  “It occurred to me back then that you didn’t have to be British, American, Dan Wieden or David Abbott to win a Pencil. You just had to be good.  The One Show was, and still is, the fairest of them all.  For me and the rest of us who live at the peripheral of Adland out in Asia, that says everything.”

“One reason The One Club is so prestigious is because of its exceptional Board of Directors, an impressive group of the most prominent creative professionals from around the world,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity.  “We are thrilled to have Eugene Cheong join the International Board, and look forward to him playing a key role in furthering our mission to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community, and solidifying the relevance of our mission in Singapore.”

“It’s a huge honour and privilege to be selected on the International board of The One Club, a non-profit organisation that passionately believes in creativity and a vibrant global creative community,” said Ogilvy India’s Dabral.  “India is one of the fastest growing and most important markets in the world today.  I’m happy to represent my country on this very important board and contribute to the great work the One Club is doing.” 

Dabral replaces Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman, CEO, McCann Worldgroup India and president. South Asia, McCann Erickson Mumbai, India, whose three-year term has ended.

“The Greater China region is flooded with all kinds of award shows, and some of them have turned into meaningless events,” said BBDO Greater China’s Leong.  “I would like to help elevate The One Show and ADC Annual Awards to industry people here to remind them of the ONE stage they should fight to be on.”  He replaces Dean Sciole, director of marketing, Cadillac China, who completed his three-year term representing China.

“It’s truly an honor to be a member of International Board of Directors,” said Dentsu Tokyo’s Sasaki .  “In Japan, we have a lot of talented creatives in digital and design, especially in younger generations.  I would like to help inspire them by connecting with great creativity through The One Club, and introduce them to the world.”  He replaces  Naoki Ito, CEO, creative director and founder, Party, Tokyo, who’s three-year term has ended.

Dentsu Aegis Network’s Masako Okamura is the first creative leader to represent the Philippines on the International Board.

In other changes at the organization, FCB global CCO Susan Credle has been named chairwoman of the National Board of Directors.  She replaces José Molla, founder and CCO, The Community, Miami, whose term as chairman has ended.  He will officially hand over the reins to Credle at The One Show on Friday evening, May 11, during Creative Week in New York.

Three industry leaders have been added to The One Club National Board of Directors: Keith Cartwright, ECD, 72andSunny, Los Angeles, Chloe Gottlieb, EVP, CCO US, R/GA, New York, and Fernando Machado, global chief marketing officer, Burger King, Miami.

Other new members of The One Club International Board of Directors are:

●    Pat Baron, CCO, Australia and Chairman, McCann APAC Creative Leadership Council, McCann Melbourne, Australia

●    Sonal Dabral (pictured top), group CCO, vice chairman, Ogilvy & Mather India, Mumbai

●    Leong Wai Foong, chairman, CCO, BBDO Greater China, Shanghai, China

●    Mónica Moro, CCO, McCann Spain, Madrid, Spain

●    Masako Okamura (pictured middle) ECD, ASPAC, Dentsu Aegis Network, Manila, Philippines

●    Juliana Paracencio, regional CD, Memac Ogilvy & Mather, Dubai, UAE

●    Luiz Sanches, CCO, AlmapBBDO, São Paulo, Brazil (replacing Nizan Guanaes, chairman, Grupo ABC, São Paulo)

●    Yasuharu Sasaki (pictured bottom), ECD, Dentsu Tokyo, Japan

Board members, who serve three-year terms, are selected based on three criteria: they must be prominent international creatives, be respected leaders in their given fields, and exert influence in their respective regions.

Responsibilities of Board members include providing input and feedback on the club’s two dozen annual education, professional development, inclusion & diversity and gender equality programs, elevating The One Show and ADC Annual Awards in rankings in their regions, connecting the club with advertising and design universities and schools, and recommending outstanding candidates for awards judges.

The new Board members join a group of global creative leaders who serve as ambassadors for and advisors to the non-profit organization.  The complete list of current National Board members is at http://www.oneclub.org/directors/, International Board is at http://www.oneclub.org/intldirectors/.

Swanepoel made special note of José Molla’s term as Board chairman, praising his strong dedication and strategic vision for successfully growing the club’s initiatives, reputation and influence on a global level.

“José has been a terrific leader and partner, and played a significant role in the club becoming the creative industry’s global leader in education, professional development, inclusion & diversity and gender equality programming,” he said.  “We thank him for his many important contributions to making The One Club an organization that nurtures a more vibrant and inspired global creative community.”

Past One Club Board members include industry legends such as Bob Barrie, Lee Clow, Lee Garfinkel, Jeff Goodby, Sir John Hegarty, Ed McCabe, Dan Wieden and others.  

The announcement was made in lead up to The One Club’s Creative Week, May 7-11, 2018 in New York (http://www.oneclub.org/creativeweek/).  The preeminent festival showcasing the intersection of advertising, innovation and creative thinking, Creative Week includes The One Show over two nights, ADC 97th Annual Awards, the dynamic Young Ones Education Festival, inspiring sessions with some of the biggest names in the industry at the Creative Summit and the exclusive Executive Creative Summit, open to a limited number of top-level leaders (founders, CCOs and managing partners).