Naga DDB Tribal names Alex Goh chief strategy officer as Piwo Chia exits

Alex Goh has returned to Naga DDB Tribal as chief strategy officer, close to four years after he left in 2016 as strategy director. Since then, Goh (pictured fifth from left) worked at m/SIX as director of strategic planning and at Renoir Consulting as strategist. Goh reports to COO Clarence Koh and his duties include consultation with the agency’s portfolio of clients on their brand and business strategy needs. He will also play a crucial in evolving the agency's strategy department to encompass a holistic suite of data analytics and marketing consultation offerings.

He replaces Piwo Chia who left after more than three years to found pop-up planning lab IDEALOGIC. Chia first joined the agency in 2016 as head of planning before taking on the chief strategy officer role in March 2019, according to his LinkedIn. Prior to that, he was with Ogilvy, Y&R, and J. Walter Thompson. 

Meanwhile, Naga DDB Tribal also brought on board Dennis Kam (pictured fourth from right) as senior planning director to strengthen its brand and overall strategy offerings. Kam most recently served as planning director for seven years with Havas Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. 

According to Goh, he believes in delivering a humanistic approach to branding and communications, which remains the compass that will navigate agencies and clients alike well in an increasingly time-constrained, data-driven and attention-scarce world.

“Come what may - now or in the future, digital or non-digital, brand building or activation - the work we do has and always will be about the people, for the people. Our 'selling' profession, done well, is really a giving profession. Our clients themselves are increasingly focused on efforts to humanise their business," Goh said.

Meanwhile, Kam said that ideologically, the industry is going back to empathy and a deep, obsessive understanding of people, which is what the business is about. "Slowly but surely the days of 'instant-noodle' insights are numbered, as brands and marketers begin to remember how powerful and effective a people-centric approach is,” Kam added.

Kam explained that moving forward, strategists will realise that their role in this new ecosystem is less of a “blue-skies” thinker, but more of a “problem-solving gel” getting their hands dirty as they build the work and help everyone collaborate.

Separately, Naga DDB Tribal also recently promoted Joanna Dorai (pictured fourth from left), who has served the agency for almost four years, to planning director. It also appointed Jeffrey Wong (pictured third from left) from Leo Burnett as its senior data and insights strategist.

Koh said its data, insights and planning department plays a very important role in the uncovering of deep understanding of the people these stories are designed for. "With Goh and Kam joining the Naga family, I’m optimistic that the agency is well-equipped to push the boundaries of our current strategic offerings and to remain competitive in a challenging environment as our client businesses strive to recover from the pandemic impact," he said. Koh also thanked Chia for the innovative approaches and new initiatives introduced under his leadership over the years.

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