He will replace current ECD Richard Irvine, who will leave for an as yet unnamed agency in Malaysia at the end of February.
Ratcliffe will help the Kuala Lumpur office grow its creative reputation and digital transformation across clients such as Nestlé, Citibank and L'Oreal. He will report to Dean Bramham, Publicis CEO SEA.
Ratcliffe had previously spent six years at Publicis New York as creative director, having been hired by David Droga.
Prior to the new role, Ratcliffe worked with MMB Boston as a freelance creative director. He has also worked with other New York agencies, including JWT, Ogilvy and Berlin Cameron, as well as at McCann San Francisco for clients including IBM, Heineken, Adidas and PepsiCo.
In addition, Ratcliffe wrote for MTV and Comedy Central, and was personal writer to celebrity and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, host of late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Bramham said Ratcliffe is deeply immersed in digital and will bring global brand experience that clients are seeking from its integrated SEA agency model.