Former Publicis Media MY lead Andrew Leong heads to Thailand to take on role with TBWA\

Andrew Leong, former growth officer of media at Publicis One Malaysia, has joined TBWA\ Thailand as MD of Nissan United, Asia and Oceania. Based in Bangkok, he takes over from Johan Shabudin and oversees Nissan United teams across key Asian markets. Nissan United is a team within Omnicom Group that manages all aspects of the Nissan brand worldwide.

Leong told A+M that the focus on performance marketing, combined with an integrated creative-media way of working on an automotive brand drew him to this role.

"What is interesting about the Asian markets is how similar yet diverse the countries are. As Asians, we all feel connected living in the most dynamic place on the planet in terms of progress and growth," Leong said. At the same time, the consumers in this region can also be nuanced in how they view brands and consider products.

Hence, having the chance to work with teams from Bangkok to Sydney on the auto category is "a great role" for him, Leong said. This is due to his experience working aross the Asia Pacific region for the past 20 years.

Leong previously led Publicis Media in Malaysia for two years and told A+M last September that it was time for him "to recalibrate [his] career trajectory over the next few months". A+M has reached out to TBWA\ for comment.

Before leading Publicis Media, Leong was the managing partner for Arc Worldwide, overseeing the media agency brands including Starcom, Blue 449, Spark Foundry and Performics under Publicis One umbrella in Malaysia. Prior to that, he was head of strategic resources, Greater China at Zenith and head of brand and engagement planning at McCann Worldgroup Singapore. Leong also worked at DDB and BBDO.