40 Under 40 2023: Jarrod Reginald, The Chariot Agency

Jarrod Reginald

Executive creative director & co-founder
The Chariot Agency
Malaysia

Jarrod Reginald’s college lecturer once told him that he would never become a creative director because he couldn’t draw. Luckily Reginald wasn’t one to be demoralised by the likes of such feedback. And while he still admits he can’t draw, he’s certainly capable of much, much more.

Reginald began his career as a final artwork artist, where he spent a lot of late nights learning shortcut keys. From the get go, it was obvious to Reginald that his approach to creativity was unique. He set his sights on working for the big leagues, and despite two rejections from the firm, he found himself at Ogilvy in Malaysia where he spent 11 years of his career, rising from the ranks from art director to creative director over two stints. In between, he spent just under  two years at BBDO / Proximity Malaysia as a creative group head.

It was at Ogilvy though, that Reginald produced Carrefour’s poster design piece that got awarded at Cannes, D&AD and The One Show, and worked on brands including Guinness, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Tiger Beer, and Malaysian Airlines’ rebranding. 

Then in 2021, in the throes of a global pandemic, Reginald put all that he had learnt into pursuing another lifelong dream: Opening his own agency. Against an uncertain industry landscape, Reginald and his business partner opened the doors to The Chariot Agency, signing Tiger Beer immediately as their very first client. Starting with just three employees, today the agency has grown to 45 people, managing 20 brands across Malaysia, Singapore, and Shanghai including TikTok, Amazon, Mitsubishi, Singapore Airlines, MISC, Touch ‘n Go, and Glico. And of course, Tiger Beer. In less than three years since it was founded, Reginald has led the agency to produce a prolific body of creative work that has been recognised at both international and local award shows.

Reginald is a strong believer that those in the Arts industry have a lot of invaluable insight to offer to the world, which is why he’s also a passionate mentor and people leader. Putting people’s genuine interests and hobbies at the heart of their business, the Chariot Agency went from a three day office work week to two days. This allows his team members to find time for inspiration, creativity and have work-life balance to work on the projects they love alongside client work. 

He also runs a quarterly bespoke creative ideation training within the agency that is open not only to creatives, but also to the brand and strategy teams. This has resulted in elevating the creative approach of every team in the agency, as well as a consistent waitlist. Reginalid’s approach to mentorship has been an immense success, leading two of the youngest members in The Chariot Agency, a rapper and an artist, to win a gold at the Young Spikes award.

Outside of being a full-time creative, Reginald is also a passionate foodie, having started his own hot dog stall at various music and arts festivals. What started as a money-making venture became an opportunity to take in what the culture was looking for, giving him new insights into consumer behaviour, trends and marketing to a whole new subset of audiences.