Publicis Groupe names Southeast Asia creative chief

Publicis Groupe has appointed Ajay Thrivikraman (pictured) to the role of chief creative officer for Southeast Asia, joining the Southeast Asia leadership team reporting in to Amrita Randhawa, CEO of Publicis Groupe Singapore and Southeast Asia, and Natalie Lam, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe APAC and MEA. Thrivikraman was previously chief creative officer global clients leading the work for the Groupe's dedicated units across P&G and Tiger Beer. 

In his new role, Thrivikraman will champion creative thinking and the power of ideas for over 3,000 staff in Publicis Groupe Southeast Asia across all business lines of the Groupe’s business. He will also will work closely with Laurent Thevenet who recently joined the Groupe as the head of creative technology for APAC and MEA and is also based in Singapore. Both have already begun to chart a course on key clients and built a solid partnership melding big brand thinking and modern creative breadth and depth. Meanwhile, the creative leadership for BBH Singapore under chief creative officer Sascha Kuntze remains unchanged with him continuing to work with newly appointed global CCO of BBH, Alex Grieve.

From a Groupe standpoint, there has never been a better time for Thrivikraman to step into this role, said the agency. There is new data, technology and possibilities with machine learning that are emerging every day. There are more platforms, more signals, and more data sources to inform the creative process than ever before, the statement added. The ambition behind the appointment is to unleash the creative spirit no matter where it sits in the business to embrace a modern definition of creativity and make a mark in the market, making Publicis Groupe a leader in creativity in Southeast Asia.

Thrivikraman said: “Everything I know about our business, I've learnt here in this region, from the ground up. I see this as a great opportunity to put everything I've absorbed from the rich talent, culture, and creativity all around me to work; to help our clients' brands grow, lead and be a positive force in people's lives.” 

Before Publicis Groupe, Thrivikraman worked at WPP's Bates141 Malaysia as its managing director for two years, according to his LinkedIn. He initially joined the agency in 2002 and helmed the executive creative director role for four years. Additionally, Thrivikraman was also at McCann as its creative director for regions such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Groupe described Thrivikraman as "one of the foremost creative thinkers" in the region. Under his charge, Publicis has created work that has significantly impacted popular culture across brands such as Vicks, Olay, Safeguard and others in the APAC region; work that has not only driven business growth but been a force for social change and championing diversity, equality and inclusion. 

Randhawa said Thrivikraman's appointment at a Groupe level is purposeful in its definition of going beyond the creative department. Increasingly creative thinking and ideas are coming from across all lines of its business and she wants to see more of that!

"But to be able to see more of that kind of work you need a leader who not only is a master in creativity itself but has the collaborative spirit to bring people together, the mentorship skills to identify and build great talent across the business and the humility to continue to be curious and learn. And the minute you say those things out loud, well, that’s Thrivikraman!” she added.

Meanwhile, Lam joined the Groupe last January and in that one year, she said Thrivikraman has been her go-to when she needs a sanity check, or when she has questions if an idea is big, pure and meaningful enough. 

"In a day and age where the industry tends to act schizophrenically and be overwhelmed by all the new toys and distractions, having Ajay as the creative anchor to continue delivering powerful, meaningful work for our clients, while partnering with Thevenet in the most innovative solutions, will be unstoppable for a high potential market like Southeast Asia. I’m thrilled to see Thrivikraman taking on this role!” Lam added.

Aside from making regional hires, the Groupe also beefed up its Malaysia creative capabilities by promoting Emir Shafri and Andrew Michau last year. Emir is now chief creative officer while Michau is chief strategy officer.

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