Hakuhodo Malaysia's MD steps down

Hakuhodo's country manager and managing director for Malaysia, Ryusuke Oda (pictured) has stepped down from the position. He was in the two roles for over seven years. Oda took to LinkedIn to announce his change in position, to the chief marketing officer of Himaraya, which is a major sports retail chain in Japan with over 100 stores and a strong e-commerce platform. According to Himaraya's website, its head office is based in Gifu, and it also has a Tokyo office in Shinjuku. 

Don't miss: Hakuhodo names new CEO and president for Hakuhodo International 

Prior to stepping into the role as Hakuhodo Malaysia's MD, and Hakuhodo's country manager for Malaysia, Oda was a group account manager in the agency's Tokyo office from 2014 for three years. Prior to that, he had a long  eight year stint at GDAD Delpys Hakuhodo as an account manager in China. Before moving to China, Oda held three different roles within a  nine year tenure with Hakuhodo Inc beginning from 1997.

Oda said in a LinkedIn post "I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Himaraya, a leading sports retail company, as chief marketing officer. Himaraya is committed to delivering an exceptional customer experience through unified commerce— seamlessly connecting physical stores and e-commerce. I’m diving in every day to better understand this wonderful spirit and ambitions."

"After 28 incredible years at Hakuhodo, I’m deeply grateful for the people, places, and experiences that shaped me across Japan, China, and Malaysia. And now, with a fresh mindset, I’m setting aside my past assumptions to rediscover what marketing truly means— through the lens of real people’s lives," he added. 

Over the past half a year, Himaraya opened new stores in Chiba, Hyogo, and Kagawa. Its current president and chief executive officer, Manabu Oda, has been in the position for a year and a half, after serving as Himaraya's GM for eight months. 

During Ryusuke Oda's tenure with Hakuhodo Malaysia, he was also a part of The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As Malaysia). Oda was elected as its vice president in 2023, before moving up to become its acting president. A+M has reached out to Oda and 4As Malaysia for more information. 

Established in 1973, Hakuhodo Malaysia is Hakuhodo’s oldest overseas subsidiary. In 2022, It acquired digital creative agency Kingdom Digital to accelerate the agency's expansion in Southeast Asia.

Recently, Hakuhodo Malaysia helmed Secret Recipe's Raya flash mob at Sunway Pyramid. It also worked on Ambank Group's Chinese New Year ad for 2025, and Toyota Malaysia's exhibition at the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show 2024. Meanwhile, Kingdom Digital was signed on as Taiwanese airline EVA Airways' creative agency of record partner. 

In November 2024, Hakuhodo announced the closure of its Hong Kong office. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE found that all of its staff were to be terminated by the end of the year with a two-month notice period. Hakuhodo Hong Kong was established in 1988, and offered a full spectrum of services, including strategic planning and creative development. 

Earlier this week, Hakuhodo appointed Akihiko Imai as the new president and CEO of Hakuhodo International, effective immediately. Imai replaced Shuntaro Ito and reports to Kenji Nagura, representative director and president of Hakuhodo. The appointment was preceded by a slew of new senior hires including Kenji Nagura being named representative director and president, Masayuki Mizushima transitioning to the role of chairman alongside his CEO remit and Hirotake Yajima as representative director and vice chairman of Hakuhodo DY Holdings.

With regards to 4As Malaysia, the advertising body had appointed Havas Group's former group managing director Andrew Lee as its CEO in May 2024. He previously served the 4As as its president from April 2017 to September 2023 for three consecutive terms. Lee has over 30 years of experience in the advertising industry and has developed his expertise in strategic planning, creative ideation and campaign execution.

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