KRDS elevates Sunny Johar to MD of SEA

KRDS has promoted Sunny Johar (pictured) to the role of managing director of Southeast Asia. In her new role, she will continue to report to group CEO and co-founder Thomas Jestin. 

Johar will bring her extensive experience in digital strategy and content creation to her new role, having been instrumental in driving innovation and expanding the agency's presence across Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Her client roster includes leading international FMCG brands, local Singaporean brands and government entities. 

Additionally, her promotion to managing director of KRDS Southeast Asia marks a strategic consolidation of business functions to enhance regional client support, extending her leadership across the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. This is in addition to managing operations in Singapore.

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Johar will retain her responsibilities as group head of digital strategy for APAC and Middle East.

Johar has been with the agency for eight years, first starting out as a social media manager in 2017 before rising up the ranks to director of digital strategy in April 2022 and managing director of Singapore in April 2023. As managing director of KRDS Singapore, Johar was tasked to lead the organisation with energy and innovation, as well as transform challenges into growth opportunities, according to her LinkedIn. 

Prior to joining KRDS, Johar was a content specialist at Publicis Singapore and a management associate, brand, marketing and corporate communications at PSB Academy. 

"I am incredibly blessed to lead a stellar team of passionate thinkers and creative problem-solvers at KRDS Group. Without their relentless drive to push boundaries, embrace innovation, and self-accountability to deliver outstanding work, our success would not be possible. I am privileged to lead such a dynamic group of individuals as we continue to grow and redefine digital marketing across Southeast Asia, and I hope to continue to do justice to the trust Thomas Jestin has placed in me," said Johar in conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

Johar's promotion joins a series of new appointments and promotions of managing directors in the industry. Most recently, Omnicom PR Group appointed Mei Lee as its senior vice president and managing director of its operations in Singapore. Lee will oversee the agency’s Singapore presence, focusing on expanding its capabilities and client roster while driving OPRG’s growth in the market.

Across the border, dentsu Creative Malaysia named Uday Desai as its managing director to drive the evolution of its creative business. Desai joins dentsu with extensive client experience across major agency groups, having driven transformation through integrated strategies for global brands across multiple regions and sectors, including automotive. 

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