Bates 141's regional director for Southeast Asia Peter Skalberg to leave

Skalberg, who assumed his current position in March last year, will be leaving by mid-March to take time off and focus on his family and personal life.

He said: “I have a had a tremendous time at Bates 141. I have had the pleasure to work on some of the world’s best-loved brands and have fun at the same time. I have made life-long friendships that I’m sure will carry through for many years to come.”

“However, having spent almost two-thirds of my life on the road doing global and regional roles, it’s time to take a short respite. I plan to spend some quality time with my wife Connie, visit the family back in Australia, practice more yoga and have a well-deserved break. It will also provide me with some time to review my career options and opportunities,” added Skalberg.

Skalberg started off at George Patterson Bates in Melbourne in 1987 and joined Bates Vietnam in 1994 to set up its Saigon office and Indochina operations. He then became Singapore CEO for Bates before rising to his current role.

He has worked on some of Bates’ most notable accounts including Heineken, Ovaltine, J&B Scotch Whisky, American Standard, Shelltox and Mars. In particular, Skalberg played a crucial role in leading the agency’s Heineken International business and growing the relationship across Asia for 16 years, according to Jeffrey Yu, chairman of Bates 141 Asia.

In an internal statement, Yu thanked Skalberg for his contributions. He noted: “Skally is one of our longest serving employees and he’s certainly had a very colourful career. I’d like to thank him for his contributions and wish him all the best for the next change in his life.”

A spokesperson at Bates added that there are no plans to find a replacement for Skalberg’s role.