Ogilvy in management reshuffle

Mayo, who takes on the position three years after assuming the role of regional vice-president, indicated that development of local new business would be a focal point of his first months in charge.

“If you focus in your own backyard, you get better clients,” Mayo said, explaining that wooing local accounts built a strong reputation. “The task at the local level is to continue to be lean, hungry and terrier-like.”

He added that he would look to maintain Ogilvy & Mather Advertising as the “front door” of the network, describing his role as a “unique opportunity to make all disciplines work together”.

Mayo began his career with the WPP network with the establishment of RedCard, a subsidiary of Ogilvy Group Singapore.
Separately, Ogilvy has promoted Scott Kronick and Chris Reitermann to the respective positions of president of Ogilvy Beijing Group and Ogilvy Shanghai Group.

Both will retain their respective roles as president of Ogilvy Public Relations China and of OgilvyOne China and they will report to Shenan Chuang, the group’s chief executive in China.

Kronick has been in charge of Ogilvy’s public relations operation in China for 13 years.

Commenting on his enlarged responsibility, he stated that while building culture within the group would not be a priority, his goal was to implement a more discipline-neutral approach to “integrate and focus on creativity and effectiveness”.

Meanwhile, Reitermann has relocated to Shanghai after a period of nine years with the agency in Beijing, where he initiated a number of business models, including joint ventures with iTop and German mobile marketing firm iconmobile.

Reitermann noted that in contrast to Beijing, the Shanghai office had traditionally been heavily advertising-driven.

Another challenge, he said, would be transforming the numerous business acquisitions made over the past three years into true “members of the Ogilvy family”.

“The key is to get all the tools to work well together, not as five different agencies, but as one agency,” he said.

The management reshuffle comes amid news Ogilvy has cut 10 per cent of its staff in the US, around 150 people. Ogilvy has refused to comment on rumours that it has begun making layoffs in Asia.