Pat Lim joins Mediabrands as MD of UM and Initiative in Singapore

Lim is tasked with leading the two brands of UM and Initiative in Singapore – as well as driving new business and building the team. She takes the reins from Clinton Simpson, who led both agencies for the past two years, before assuming a regional role.

Describing the appointment as a “real coup”, Mediabrands COO Asia Daniel Simon said that Lim has a great reputation in the market, “and we look forward to leveraging her strong expertise in the media industry as a whole and bringing our businesses to the next level.”

Announced internally last evening, Lim’s appointment brings to a close months of speculation as to her next move after leaving Briq Communications in March 2011.

Lim was co-founder of full-service agency Briq, having prior to that served as general manager and managing director at PHD from 2005 to 2010.  At PHD, Pat was responsible for overseeing the agency’s Singapore team, which she transformed into an award-winning agency that ranked amongst Singapore’s top ten.

Simon told Campaign that the search has been extensive, and part of an overall focus on leadership within the network. “We want to focus on getting the leadership right in key markets in order to emulate our success in the likes of Malaysia, Australia and Hong Kong.”

He went on to stress the importance, especially in a small market like Singapore, of differentiating your offering. “It’s practically impossible to compete on price, so it has to be about diversification,” he said.

Pointing to the stellar success of UM Malaysia, under CEO Prashant Kumar, Simon attributes that agency’s continued growth to Kumar’s diversification strategy there, into the likes of outdoor, social media and search.

Amongst the diversified offerings on the cards, Simon said that Reprise Search is already up and running in Singapore. He highlighted the potential for IPG’s digital ad network Cadreon, and pointed out that Mediabrands’ data analytics is headquartered in Singapore.

Commenting on her new role, Lim said, “As someone who has seen a sea change occur in the media industry over the past several years, it’s great to take the helm at an agency so well-poised to take advantage of these changes.  I look forward to working with great colleagues at UM and Initiative.”

A Singaporean with extensive experience across both Asia’s media and creative landscape, Lim has been recognized as one of the media industry’s best, receiving accolades including Person of the Year at the 2008 Singapore Media Awards.  She has also been very active in the local media industry, having previously served as Chairperson of ABC Singapore and as a member of the 4As Media and Research Committee.