Leigh Reyes named president and CCO at Lowe Philippines

Gustilo is set to retire from the industry and take up a post with Ayala Foundation as senior director for arts and culture, responsible for the Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library.

Reyes and Gustilo have worked closely together for two and a half years. A digital native, Reyes coded her first site using Notepad and HTML in 1996. She ran several websites before setting up her blog in 2003.

Reyes noted that the agency’s strengths have been deep rapports with the mass Filipino consumer, plugging into pop culture and effective brand building.

“Mariles and I knew, from when I first came in, what we wanted the agency to be: integrated, digitally fluent, with the nimbleness of a start-up. Stack tech savvy on top of that and I believe we'll be the agency partner clients will want by their side in these rapidly evolving times.”

Winner of the country's first Gold Clio in 2007, Reyes was also the youngest Filipino to be a jury member at the Cannes Lions Festival. She took the stage at Spikes Asia together with Lowe and Partners' global CEO Michael Wall recently to talk about populist creativity in Asia.

Tony Wright, chairman of Lowe and Partners, said Reyes has played an instrumental role in transforming Lowe Philippines, together with Mariles, into a multidiscipline agency with the digital know-how to launch a realtime consumer research tool called Crowdder.

“She is pretty fearless so we are excited to see what she will do in her new role,” he added.

On Gustilo's departure, Wright noted that the agency has earned a reputation as a strategic powerhouse, during her 15 years of leadership.

“Throughout this time, the agency held on to its top five position in the industry, making it a force to reckon with and always a formidable competitor. On a personal note, Mariles is a pleasure to work with and we will miss her both professionally and personally. Arts & Culture in the Ayala Foundation will flourish under her direction.”

Gustilo said Reyes has played a major role in helping to contemporise the agency’s operations. “Highly creative and future-facing, she is a perfect example of the hybrid advertising talent that can deliver today's new integrated solutions, appreciative of the power of the narrative yet comfortable in the realm of data and the digital space. I am proud and confident to hand Lowe Philippines over to her.”