Edelman names John Koay as regional ECD

Edelman has appointed John Koay as regional executive creative director, overseeing the Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand markets.

In his new position, Koay will be tasked with leading the firm’s creative team, as they develop earned creative for the firm’s clients across its offerings. His appointment is effective immediately and he reports to Tim Green, Edelman’s chief creative officer for APAC.

Speaking of his new role at Edelman, Koay said, "At the heart of Edelman’s work is a deep connection with culture – earning attention for the firm’s clients and their brands. By embedding creativity and other integrated solutions into the core of its offerings, the agency’s work truly stands out in resonating with local audiences. I am looking forward to partnering with the talented team to continue pushing the envelope for what clients can achieve with the power of creativity.”

Koay joined Edelman from Ogilvy, where he was executive creative director from August 2018 to February 2022. He joined Ogilvy as creative director in October 2013 and was responsible for the overall creative output for clients such as Nike, Lucozade, Ribena, KFC, Pizza Hut, Mondelez Cadbury, Standard Chartered, WWF and Orbis, according to his LinkedIn account.

The agency said Koay brings over 17 years of experience to the firm, having worked at several large creative networks and produced campaigns that have resulted in business growth for brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Nike, Toyota, Panasonic, Air New Zealand, Qantas, Nestle, Kellogg’s, Johnson & Johnson and Heineken.

The agency added that it will leverage Koay’s integrated thinking and channel-agnostic creativity to further enhance the firm’s ability to deliver work that is rooted in culture.

“As a highly integrated thinker, Koay is an industry renowned creative maverick with an impeccable track record of delivering disruptive work," said Green.

“He joins us at a time when more and more clients are turning to us for creative solutions that swiftly respond to their business challenges and resonate with their consumers or audiences in a digital age. Koay is the epitome of multiculturalism and global thinking, while being fluent in the language of CMOs," he added.

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