Group MD Ee Rong Chong exits Ogilvy after 18 years

Ogilvy Singapore's group MD, Ee Rong Chong (pictured), is leaving the agency at the end of January. Chairman Chris Riley confirmed the exit to Marketing. Moving forward, PR and social capabilities will be handled by Ogilvy Singapore managing partners Emily Poon and Matt Collette.Poon, a 10-year Ogilvy veteran has already been leading the PR team for over three years, while Collette recently joined as head of social practice, bringing with him digital and integrated marketing experience.[caption id="attachment_242788" align="alignnone" width="378"] Matt Collette[/caption][caption id="attachment_242787" align="alignnone" width="330"] Emily Poon[/caption]Riley added that a new hire will also join Ogilvy in January to take over Chong's client-side responsibilities. A spokesperson from Ogilvy said that Chong has played a critical role in the development and success of the agency over the past 18 years and inspired many who have ventured into the field."We thank her for her dedicated service to the agency over nearly two decades, and for being a treasured colleague and friend to all of us for so many years. We wish her all the very best in her new endeavours which she will announce in due course after she departs at the end of January 2019," the spokesperson added.Chong was appointed to the role in 2016, partnering with chairman Chris Riley to accelerate implementation of the agency’s global “Next chapter” strategy. Together with Riley, Chong is responsible for future proofing existing service offerings to help the agency stay ahead of the curve in Singapore.She was previously managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore, succeeding Andrew Thomas. Chong has been with Ogilvy for about 18 years and also worked at Meridian Asset Management in Malaysia, according to her LinkedIn. In June this year, Ogilvy brought together the three distinct units of OgilvyOne, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising and Ogilvy Public Relations under a single, unified group with a common identity, positioning, client service model and P&L.The unified group, which includes a new organisational structure and brand identity, also includes various company sub-brands and specialty brands. The move to serve as an integrated creative network reinforces what Ogilvy stands for and believes in – that brands matter now more than ever.