Goodman set to assume regional OgilvyAction leadership

Goodman will be succeeded in Japan by Kent Wertime, who will simultaneously retain his position as regional president of OgilvyOne.

Commenting on the task ahead, Goodman noted that OgilvyAction represented a “great growth business” given the recession.

“The issue is to build a clearly differentiated proposition for Ogilvy and deliver on it,” he said.
Goodman added that in assuming responsibility for Southeast Asia, he would concentrate on maintaining the agency’s creative record in Singapore and Thailand, and expanding it across the region by drawing on what he described as a “hotbed of talent” often overlooked in favour of China and India. He will be based in Bangkok.

Goodman’s three-year stint in Japan was preceded by a period of equal duration as group chief executive in India.

Meanwhile Wertime, who replaced John Goodman as head of OgilvyOne five years ago, said he was “thrilled” about the transition to Japan, particularly with regard to the market’s highly developed digital sector.

Both Wertime and Goodman will report to Ogilvy’s Asia Pacific chairman, Tim Isaac, when the appointments take effect in April.