BBH Singapore's John Hadfield exits business, Sid Tuli to take on MD role

BBH Singapore's CEO, John Hadfield, will be exiting the business and relocating back to the UK. The agency said it will be appointing a new chairperson in a press release, but added that more details will be shared "in due time".

Meanwhile, BBH Singapore promoted Sid Tuli, its current head of new business, to the role of managing director. Both Tuli (pictured right) and the new chairperson will join the agency’s existing leadership team that includes CCO Sascha Kuntze, CFO Natasha Lindsay-Barker and CSO Jacob Wright.

Tuli joined BBH Singapore in 2010 and has grown through the ranks to run key global clients including Absolut, Nike and Riot Games. In his new role, he will report to Neil Munn, the global CEO of BBH. Hadfield told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that Tuli's replacement will be confirmed "in due course".

Hadfield (pictured left) first transferred to BBH Singapore in 2005 from BBH London. Under his leadership, the agency said it has "grown significantly" in scale and influence, from a small boutique to an agency operating on a global stage. In a press statement, Hadfield said his transfer from BBH London was initially scheduled to last three years. "That was sixteen years ago. It shows the love we have developed for Singapore; the people, the place and the agency," he added.

"We have achieved so much together - remarkably last year was a record year on all key measures - there is great momentum and a fantastic group of people here who I’m sure will continue to do wonderful things," Hadfield added. He also said that his plan has always been to return to the UK for a key stage of his kids’ education, and this has been scheduled within the business for the past few years. "As I prepare to leave, my underlying feeling is a sense of gratitude to all those great people I’ve been lucky enough to work with over the past 16 years," Hadfield said. 

Commenting on the changes, Neil Munn, global CEO, BBH, said while it is immensely grateful to Hadfield for his "exemplary leadership" over the past sixteen years, the agency is also very excited about its next phase. "BBH Singapore is a world-class business primed to play a broader role on the global stage. This is why we are delighted to elevate Sid Tuli to MD, following his brilliant contribution on clients such as Absolut, Nike and Riot, in tandem with the introduction of a new chairperson role," Munn added. 

Tuli said: “I am truly humbled and honoured by the trust placed in me and I look forward to working with Sascha, Jacob, Tash and every one of the incredibly talented people at BBH Singapore to build on the momentum in the business and see where it takes us next.”

Hadfield told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the agency has been "on a roll for some time", and just had a record year in 2020. This is both in terms of its financial performance and the quality and diversity of its outputs. BBH Singapore bagged the global creative remit for Jollibee at the start of 2020, tasked to manage the brand and communications strategy and execution across international market projects. It also collaborated with Absolut and Sentosa on their branding campaigns, creating brand films for both brands. 

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