After nearly a decade in Asia BBDO’s Chris Thomas promoted to CEO of the Americas

After nearly a decade in Asia, Chris Thomas, the CEO of BBDO Asia, the Middle East and Africa has been promoted to CEO of the Americas region – effective May.

Thomas (left) will take responsibility for twenty-one BBDO agencies in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. He will also remain Chairman of I&S BBDO Japan and Chairman of Proximity Worldwide. He takes the Americas’ role left vacant after the departure of Aussie expat Troy Ruhanen in July last year, who is now president and CEO of sister Omnicom network TBWA Worldwide.

Jean-Paul Burge (JP) becomes Chairman and CEO of BBDO Asia. He was most recently President of Southeast Asia and CEO BBDO Singapore.

Dani Richa, currently Chairman and CEO of BBDO Middle East and North Africa, will add the rest of Africa to his responsibilities.

In Greater China, Carol Potter, President and CEO for the past nine years, will be leaving the company and announcing a new role that will get her closer to her family.  Succeeding her will be members of the current Greater China management team: Tze Kiat Tan is promoted from Managing Director to CEO; Wai Foong Leong becomes Chairman and Chief Creative Officer; and Hans Lopez-Vito becomes Chief Strategy Officer.

“These changes demonstrate the benefits of our commitment to strong succession planning and will further strengthen the leadership team that will help me deliver our goal of the world’s best work, year after year, and through that, growth for the next five years…and beyond,” said Andrew Robertson, President and CEO, BBDO Worldwide.

Says Thomas: “It has been a privilege living and working in the Asia region for the last nine years. We have grown our reputation and our clients business through our work. And these management changes show that we have also grown our people. I would like to personally thank Carol for her extraordinary contribution – and am excited about JP and Dani accelerating our great momentum in the region”

Says Robertson: “In his nine years in Asia, Chris has led a sustained transformation of our network there into the most creative and effective in the region. We won Spikes. We were the most effective network at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards.  We were APAC Network of the Year at Cannes and the region’s most effective network in the Effie Effectiveness Index.  Revenue and profit growth has followed.  Chris established our offering in west and east Africa and has provided Proximity Worldwide with the leadership and glue it needs.  He is truly a global citizen who will have a valuable impact on his new time zone when he moves to New York in May.”