Lion & Lion names creative and digital experience lead as it eyes Web3

Lion & Lion has appointed Desmond Ho as group director of creative and digital experience. He reports to regional chief creative officer Cheelip Ong. Ho will lead the agency's creative team while driving innovative digital experiences across the region. His appointment is part of Lion & Lion’s growth plan to further expand their offerings in the digital space, especially with regards to new technologies and developments in the digital, Web3, and social media landscape.

Ho has 19 years of industry experience helming creative projects both in-house, and in agencies. He was most recently head of digital creative solutions for smart electric vehicle company AVATR based in China. Part of the core creative team that developed the AVATR brand, he was responsible for the global launch of the firm’s vehicles and digital products. He also previously served as creative director for 180 China, as the eCommerce creative lead for Apple, Nike, and Estée Lauder at Publicis Commerce, and was creative partner at TianYuKong.

Lion & Lion described Ho to be an all-rounded idea and digital experiences enthusiast, with a passion for building brands and running accounts globally and locally. The rapid growth of Web3, the metaverse, and DeFi in Southeast Asia, motivated his return to the region to produce creative work that capitalizes on the next phase of the Internet’s evolution.

"My passion of insights, technology, and creativity that come together to tell a brand narrative. I am very excited by the strategic, digital, and creative focus of Lion and Lion and having worked under Ong's leadership before, seeing him transform agencies successfully both in China and now with Lion and Lion, I am confident in his vision for growth and am glad to lead new possibilities for clients in Malaysia and the region," Ho explained.

Meanwhile, Ong said that as a creatively-driven, digital-first agency, it is hyper important for Lion & Lion to constantly move the needle forward and meet change where it happens. "With the opportunities that are unfolding in the spaces of the metaverse, Web3, social commerce, and e-Gaming, brands and consumers require new experiences that will engage them. Ho will help accelerate our creative offerings across all digital frontiers to drive progress for our creatives and our clients,” he added.

Ho's appointment comes after the agency appointed Jimmy Sutanto as creative director for Indonesia as part of the agency’s digital-first growth strategy in that market.

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