DDB China fills year-long CCO vacancy

DDB China Group has appointed Allen Lee, former chief creative officer of digital agency 180 Shanghai, as CCO, filling a role that has been open since the departure of Danny Chan over a year ago.

Lee will be responsible for leading the creative teams of DDB, Tribal and TracyLocke in the China market. He has over 20 years of experience in creative agencies and expertise in combining technology with creativity, according to the company.

At 180 Shanghai, Lee worked on Budweiser’s 2018 FIFA campaign, as well as a series of entertainment marketing campaigns for McDonald’s China. Before 180 Shanghai, he spent seven years helping establish digital marketing agency IM 2.0, which was later acquired by WPP and renamed as VML.

He has also worked at DDB before, as creative director of DDB’s digital and social division Tribal when the agency established its Shanghai office in 2006.

“Allen has a local creative’s unique insight to the China market and consumers, he also understands the operation of international 4A agencies very well,” Danny Mok, CEO and president of DDB China, said in a release. “Over the past year we have been looking for the best CCO candidate for DDB, and I believe Allen fits the role perfectly.”