Leo Burnett Singapore names new ECD

Publicis Communications names Sharim Gubbels as the executive creative director of Leo Burnett. With his appointment taking effect immediately, Gubbels will work closely with Publicis Communications CEO Lou Dela Pena and chief creative officer Jennie Morris to reimagine Leo Burnet’s ethos of HumanKind and what it means for creativity and clients in a COVID-changed world.

Prior to this promotion, Gubbels was Leo Burnett's group creative director and has been working with Leo Burnett for the past 18 months, leading the McDonald's account. He has been with Publicis Communications for the past five years, focusing on growing social and digital expertise across Publicis’ brands. He also worked on Samsung, Audi and Disney accounts.

“HumanKind is such a powerful way to create and foster true connections between brands and people, and I can’t wait to further expand on Leo Burnett’s already amazing body of work, and its ethos,” Gubbels said.

Morris believes that this is an opportune time for HumanKind with the world returning to the ideals of culture and community. "There isn’t a better human than Sharim to lead the creative charge at Leo Burnett,” Morris added.

CEO Dela Pena added, “Leo Burnett is an agency with a brand reputation almost as storied as our biggest clients’. It’s why I am so excited to elevate one of our brightest talents to work with me to lead the next chapter of growth and to deepen human connections for our current and future clients."

According to Leo Burnett's official website, HumanKind represents the notion that ads must be centered on meaningful human experiences. This is accompanied by the network's strive to create acts, not ads, while connecting creative ideas with real-world outcomes.

Prior to this, Gubbels was appointed as creative director of social by Publicis Communications in 2017. The role was newly created then and it saw him handling both local and regional clients. Prior that appointment, Gubbels was creative director at We Are Social. At that time, Gubbels had already over 17 years of experience in the industry and have worked with clients such as Singapore Airlines and Lenovo. Prior to his role at We Are Social, he held stints as associate creative director at TUS Isobar and senior art director at TBWA\TEQUILA Singapore, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Last year, McDonald’s Singapore appointed Publicis' Leo Burnett to handle its creative and digital duties. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands that the length of appointment is two years, and the agency will be working with Digitas on the account. In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson from McDonald's said: "There is a time for everything. With effect from January 2021, Leo Burnett Advertising will be accorded lead creative agency for the McDonald's Singapore business, as part of our brand journey to further deepen customer connections."

Related articles:
Publicis Singapore nabs We Are Social creative
Lawrence Yang named CEO of Publicis Media Hong Kong
Publicis Groupe names new chief creative officer for APAC