M&C Saatchi Malaysia names new ECD

M&C Saatchi Malaysia has appointed Yew Pong Hor to the role of ECD, overseeing the overall creative output of the Kuala Lumpur office. Hor (pictured) is tasked with strengthening the agency’s integrated communication offerings while pushing the envelope of creativity and transforming the creative vision of the agency. He replaces Darren Lim who is now based in Bangkok as chief brand officer for Bitazza. Hor reports to CEO of M&C Saatchi Malaysia, Lara Hussein (pictured below).

He was most recently ECD at Bonsey Jaden, bringing along knowledge and experience that is useful for this data-driven landscape. With his experience, Hor will be responsible for M&C Saatchi's list of clients ranging from Celcom, BOH Tea, Hong Leong Bank, MBSB, and MDEC. Hor has helmed creative director roles at several other agencies, including Leo Burnett, Cheil, Ogilvy, BBDO, and DDB. He was also creative group head at Y&R, McCann Erickson, and Saatchi & Saatchi, according to his LinkedIn. Throughout his career, Hor has worked for brands including Guinness, KFC, Tiger Beer, P&G, Pepsi, Samsung, Citibank, and Toyota.

Hor told A+M that he has always held this specific quote from Nelson Mandela close to his heart:  “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” "This is the spirit and motto that will define the manner in which we approach our client’s business goals, in providing effective creative solutions that will be engaging to our audience," he added.

Meanwhile, Lara told A+M that Hor will be the first wave of change happening across the agency in the coming months. According to her, Hor possesses the skillset to scale up the agency's creative offering, and coupled with the support of a strong team, he’ll spearhead innovative, insightful creative and digital solutions that support its clients’ transformation journey,” she added.

Lara also said that this year will be a pivotal one for the agency after having survived two tumultuous years. "Our new global and local purpose is aimed towards helping our business partners make sense of change by being their social and business change agents. In realising this new aspiration, we’ve had to realign our agency with strong creative drivers and indefatigable talents to make this a reality and do so at the fastest speed possible," Lara explained.

Last month, M&C Saatchi was appointed alongside Invictus Blue to handle marketing duties for 12 months. The agencies currently lead the creative execution of all planned marketing campaigns and provide strategic media planning and buying to promote MDEC’s programmes and initiatives in the respective segments. The agency has also emerged winners at A+M's Agency of the Year Awards 2021, bagging silver for Branding Agency of the Year and Digital Agency of the Year, as well as bronze for Social Media Marketing Agency of the Year.

At the same time, Lara is among the leaders in M&C Saatchi who are part of the agency's Southeast Asia hub. Launched last year and led by CEO of M&C Saatchi Asia, Richard Morewood, the hub combines the sources of its most successful offices: Singapore, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur, as well as M&C Saatchi Performance. The hub aims to make M&C Saatchi more agile and integrated across the region, and more importantly, give clients access to expertise and depth of talent from across the region.

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