DBS marketing team seeks creative agency to cement brand as 'beacon of trust'

DBS has kicked off a search for a creative agency partner to support its next phase of brand and marketing transformation across the region.

The bank is currently conducting a Request for Information (RFI) as part of its review of creative agency partners. According to the site, the process is intended to identify agencies with capabilities aligned to DBS’ current and future brand, marketing and production requirements.

The regional creative agency will be responsible for overall brand expression, driving marquee campaigns, and ensuring strategic relevance and coherence across all its markets, especially Singapore, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Taiwan.

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In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Audrey Kuah, head of group marketing and communications at DBS Bank, said that the bank is looking for a partner that can deepen its brand as a “beacon of stability and trust” while pushing harder into next‑generation marketing.

“DBS CEO Tan Su Shan has characterised our brand as a beacon of stability and trust, especially in today’s increasingly complex and changing environment. As we strive to create genuine and forward-thinking brand experiences that underscore our identity as a dependable, diversifier, digital, and disruptor bank, we are actively searching for an agency partner," she said. 

She added that the partner will play a crucial role in enhancing DBS' marketing initiatives and advancing the use of Gen AI and Agentic AI to reach a wide spectrum of audiences – ranging from retail customers and wealth clients to SMEs, large corporations, communities and employees – across multiple locations.

"Our goal is to align these efforts seamlessly with the bank’s overarching strategic objectives, ensuring our brand continues to resonate and inspire confidence at every touchpoint," she said.  

News of the search follows Kuah’s appointment in January this year. At the time, DBS said Kuah would strengthen the bank’s enterprise-wide marketing approach and advance its “One bank, one brand” ambitions through impactful communications aligned with its mission and goals.

Kuah is a seasoned marketing and media leader with over 25 years of experience at global agencies including J Walter Thompson, Dentsu and WPP across Asia. Her financial services experience spans brands such as Citi International Personal Banking, Standard Chartered Bank and OCBC.

Most recently, she was APAC co-CEO of VML and CEO of Wunderman Thompson APAC, where she drove transformation using data and technology. Before that, she held several senior roles at Dentsu International including executive director, media practice, APAC; managing director, Global Data Innovation Centre; client chief officer, SEA; and CEO, Aegis Media Singapore.

The marketing team's ambition is also in line with CEO Tan's vision of DBS as an "AI-enabled bank with a heart", where technology augments, rather than replaces, the human relationships the brand builds with its customers. 

"AI will take away a lot of the mundane work that we don't want to do, to release time and capacity for our employees to better understand clients, to display empathy, build relationships and trust," said Tan at Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. 

Most recently in February, Tan said the human-centric approach is a powerful differentiator for successful AI implementation for DBS. 

"At DBS, AI transformation is fundamentally about empowering our people. By removing manual toil and encouraging innovation at every level, we’re empowering our teams to focus on work that truly matters and makes a difference," said the bank in an Instagram post.

"This human centric approach aligns with Singapore’s ambition for a vibrant, AI enabled economy – as shared by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget 2026 speech – and DBS’ vision to be an AI enabled bank with a heart. We’re committed to upskilling our people and building a future where technology and human potential grow together," it added. 

Having begun its AI journey in 2014, DBS has since made substantial investments in its platforms, processes and people – enabling rapid scaling of AI innovations across the bank to elevate customer experience and enhance employee productivity. For instance, DBS leverages AI to generate hyper-personalised nudges to enable customers to make better investment and financial planning decisions, while providing relationship managers with deeper insights for more meaningful engagement.

Internally, iCoach, a generative AI-powered tool, helps employees chart personalised career and upskilling roadmaps, supporting long-term growth within the bank.

For more details on the RFI, read here. 

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