Ogilvy Thailand names new agency lead as CEO retires

Ogilvy Thailand has appointed Mettipapan Tongton (pictured left) as Ogilvy lead, as longtime chief executive officer Jiravara Virayavardhana (pictured right) prepares to retire after more than three decades with the agency.

Effective August 2026, Tongton will succeed Virayavardhana, who is retiring after more than 31 years with Ogilvy. The leadership change comes as parent company WPP moves towards a simpler and more connected operating model across its businesses.

In the role, Tongton will work alongside Ogilvy Thailand's senior leadership team and regional and global leaders across the network. She will also partner closely with the agency's chief creative officer Pete Thasorn Boonyanate, with a focus on strengthening creative capabilities and supporting client growth in Thailand and across the region.

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Tongton brings more than 18 years of experience in marketing communications and has risen through the ranks at Ogilvy. Prior to her latest appointment, she served on Ogilvy's executive board and was managing director of Ogilvy One and T&Pm, a WPP agency that works with Ogilvy across Asia Pacific.

Her experience spans brand management, online-to-offline communications strategy, customer experience and marketing technology-enabled customer relationship management.

As Ogilvy lead, Tongton will also be tasked with accelerating the agency's use of WPP Open, WPP's AI-powered operating system, while bringing together capabilities across brand strategy, communications, experience design and public relations.

The appointment will also see Ogilvy Thailand continue to build on its "Borderless creativity" approach, which brings together specialist teams, technology and data to tackle clients' business and marketing challenges.

The agency said the approach is intended to help teams work across disciplines and markets more seamlessly, while using WPP Open to strengthen research and apply data to campaign development.

Reflecting on her three decades with the agency, Virayavardhana said, "My time at Ogilvy Thailand has been both the greatest challenge and the greatest privilege of my career. This is not simply an advertising agency, it is a family of exceptionally talented people who believe in the power of creativity.

"The work our teams have created for our clients and their brands is a source of enormous pride, built on the distinctive foundation that is uniquely Ogilvy. That strong foundation will be the driving force that carries Ogilvy Thailand forward with confidence and effectiveness. I am fully confident that Ogilvy Thailand will reach even greater heights of success, while continuing to deliver outstanding creative work and maintain enduring client relationships," she added. 

In tandem, Laurent Ezekiel, Global CEO of Ogilvy, said, "On behalf of everyone across our global network, I want to pay tribute to Virayavardhana for an extraordinary 31 years of service to Ogilvy Thailand. Her leadership has been defined by an unwavering commitment to creative excellence, to our clients, and to the people around her, and she leaves behind a legacy that will shape this agency for years to come. We are enormously grateful for everything she has built."

"At the same time, I could not be more excited about what lies ahead. Tongton is exactly the kind of leader Ogilvy Thailand needs for this next chapter - ambitious, forward-thinking, and deeply connected to our clients' needs. As we continue to bring the full strength of Ogilvy's 'Borderless creativity' to markets around the world, working hand-in-hand with WPP Creative, I have every confidence that under her leadership, Ogilvy Thailand will continue to build on its remarkable legacy and deliver outstanding creative and commercial success for our clients."

Speaking on her new role, Tongton said, "I am deeply honoured to step into this leadership role. While the agency landscape is changing faster than ever, Ogilvy Thailand's mission remains constant: to deliver creative excellence and drive growth for our clients. In today's complex economic and marketing environment, brands need an agency that acts as a true partner, one that can advise closely and in depth, while bringing strategic capability, creativity and the reach of a global network."

"Working closely with other WPP agencies gives us the very best of that network to elevate the creative work our clients have long trusted us to deliver, supported by world-class technology," she added. 

Tongton's appointment follows another change to Ogilvy Thailand's leadership team earlier this year. The agency appointed Pete Thasorn Boonyanate as chief creative officer, effective 1 March 2026, marking a new chapter in its creative leadership.

In the role, Boonyanate oversees Ogilvy Thailand's creative output and integrated marketing efforts across brand building and digital transformation, while mentoring its creative talent. His appointment was also aimed at strengthening the agency's creative capabilities in Thailand and across the wider region.

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