Making the announcement today, Thomas Sutton, country advisor of Leo Burnett Indonesia, noted that the appointment is a reflection of the agency's ambition to be a leading force in digital.
“We have been steadily building our digital business, but 2012 is the year in which we will take our plans to the next level. Very importantly, we aren’t building a separate digital agency; we are building digital capability in Leo Burnett Indonesia,” said Sutton.
Sharma, who was previously leading Leo Burnett’s marketing services arm, Arc Worldwide in India, said Indonesia is rapidly emerging as a growth leader in Asia and marketers are looking for direction from agencies to tap this vast consumer presence on the digital medium. “Our focus in Indonesia will be on developing break-through digital strategies for clients and building a best in class team to execute the same,” he said.
Under his leadership over the last five years, Arc has rolled out impactful campaigns for clients including P&G, Philip Morris, Blackberry, Tata Tea, Big TV, Piramal Healthcare, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Carrefour and Asia Pacific Breweries.
The agency has won awards in digital creativity and effectiveness at various global and local forums, including the first and only Indian Cyber Lion at Cannes Lion. Prior to Arc Worldwide India, Sharma was the co-founder and country head of Tribal DDB India.