Yi Chung Tay, Hari Ramanathan and Tripti Lochan appointed to VMLY&R Asia leadership roles

March 16 2022, 10:47 am | BY Kim Shaw | No Comments
Yi Chung Tay, Hari Ramanathan and Tripti Lochan appointed to VMLY&R Asia leadership roles

VMLY&R Asia has announced key leadership moves including Yi Chung Tay, who takes on the position of Chief Executive Officer, VMLY&R Asia. Hari Ramanathan has been promoted to the role of Chief Executive Officer VMLY&R South and Southeast Asia and Japan. Tripti Lochan moves into the newly created role of Global Capability Development Officer, VMLY&R, based in Singapore.

 

Tay (pictured left) will oversee all agency brands in the region – which includes VMLY&R, VMLY&R Commerce, VMLY&Rx The Glitch (India), ClickMedia (Vietnam) and Dawson (China), having previously worked closely alongside Lochan (pictured right) as co-CEO for Asia overlooking markets in Greater China. Previously, Tay was CEO of VML China which he developed from start-up im2.0 into one of China’s leading full-service digital marketing agencies.

Tay said: “I look forward to continuing to build on our success in Asia, by harnessing creativity, technology, culture and data to create innovative solutions for our clients and business partners. Tripti has set up some of our highest potential markets for success, and we are deeply grateful for her outstanding contribution.”

Ramanathan (pictured middle) is now Chief Executive Officer VMLY&R South and Southeast Asia and Japan, overseeing these markets for the group. Since joining VMLY&R in 2007, he has been instrumental in developing strategy for Asia including transformational plans and processes for the markets. Ramanathan pioneered new strategic models and tools, created proprietary data assets including BAV and provided directional thought leadership. Ramanathan reports to CEO VMLY&R Asia Yi Chung Tay, alongside Kevin Zhu, CEO of VMLY&R China.

Lochan is tasked with identifying areas for capability growth and developing strengths globally. Lochan has been a part of the global leadership team of VMLY&R for ten years and will now partner with the team on capability expansion. Reporting to Global Chief Executive Officer Jon Cook, Lochan will partner with Ronnie Felder, Global Chief People Officer and Christine Nollen, Executive Director, on leadership training and coaching worldwide. Under her leadership in Asia the network has undergone 3 global integrations – VML+Y&R, Geometry, GTB – with talent and billings doubling across Asia during Lochan’s tenure, creating one of the most established, full-service agencies in Asia.

“I look forward to further expanding our capabilities globally, integrating offices and training leadership to even greater levels of success. I’m proud of the culture of innovation and connectedness we have built together. It’s been inspiring to leading teams to success, building connected brands for our growing portfolio of clients, “ said Lochan. “Importantly, I am excited for VMLY&R Asia’s future with Yi Chung at the helm.”

Jon Cook, Global Chief Executive Officer VMLY&R, said: “These strategic appointments are essential to our connected growth plans for both Asia and our global operation. Yi Chung, Hari and Kevin are phenomenally sharp marketers who believe in driving business momentum for our clients while ensuring we are creating a culture of belonging for our talented teams. Our Asia market is in great hands with their leadership. And I’m thrilled to expand Tripti’s remit by leveraging her acumen for capability-building and integration across our full global network. 2022 is proving to be an exciting year for the connected growth of VMLY&R.