Paul Soon takes helm as McCann and MullenLowe Singapore merge

Following the news of the Omnicom-IPG merger, McCann and MullenLowe Singapore are set to combine under the leadership of Paul Soon (pictured center). Soon, who was previously CEO of MullenLowe Singapore will continue as CEO of the combined agency (McCann Singapore), managing local client continuity and integrating MRM and MullenLowe Singapore tech teams. He will also guide AI, Adobe and other technology partnerships.

In addition, Gonzalo Olivera (pictured right) will become president of the merged organisation from 1 January, overseeing creative, strategy, delivery, and operations to align the two teams into a single, seamless structure for clients and international accounts. He was previously managing partner of MullenLowe Singapore for over three years and has been with the agency since 2008, initially based in Madrid before relocating to Singapore in 2013.

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Brandon Cheung (pictured left), CEO of McCann Singapore and Southeast Asia, will support the transition into early 2026, ensuring stability for teams and clients. Cheung has been with McCann for nearly 12 years, joining in 2013 as digital strategy director for the McCann Cathay Pacific Central Team. He later became managing partner at McCann Worldgroup Hong Kong, overseeing the global creative and media business for Cathay Pacific Airways.

He was promoted to Hong Kong CEO in 2019, then to regional director of global clients and business leadership in 2021, before stepping into the role of CEO, Southeast Asia in April this year.

With more than a decade in the network, Cheung is deeply familiar with the Southeast Asia region, where many of McCann Worldgroup’s global clients are headquartered. Before joining McCann, he held roles at Tribal DDB as regional digital strategy director and at Isobar as strategic planning director.

While MullenLowe is joining TBWA in most markets globally, Singapore is a strategic exception. The move reflects the size, nature, and complementary strengths of the two agencies locally, according to Sean Donovan, president of Omnicom Advertising Asia.

“This decision follows a detailed, market-by-market review conducted by Omnicom. In Singapore, the size and nature of the businesses made McCann and MullenLowe a more natural fit. The two agencies have a proven history of collaboration in pitching and client work in the market, they bring complementary strengths and share a longstanding IPG heritage," said Donovan.

"Bringing them together creates a future-ready creative powerhouse for Singapore and the broader region,” he added. 

The merged agency will offer clients a broader suite of capabilities, underpinned by strengthened creative leadership and deeper regional infrastructure. MullenLowe Singapore brings a track record of award-winning creative work, while McCann contributes a global network and regional scale. Together, the agencies create a single, integrated partner capable of delivering faster problem-solving across multiple markets.

Leveraging Omnicom’s intelligence platform, Acxiom’s data, and its connected content engine, the new agency aims to enhance its capabilities in data, technology, and production, enabling more targeted and efficient campaigns across the region.

“Our priority right now is continuity. The two teams have worked together before, and this integration simply formalises a partnership that already existed in practice," Donovan said.

"Clients will continue to receive uninterrupted support from the senior leaders they already know well. The integration will strengthen client service with stronger tools, deeper expertise, and greater senior attention,” he added.

The merger builds on a long-standing collaboration between the two teams, including recent regional campaigns such as Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information’s "Together, for better" and Philips’ "Effortless rush hour" in Thailand.

The move comes amid a sweeping post-merger restructure by Omnicom following its US$13.3 billion acquisition of Interpublic.

The integration will retire several longstanding agency brands, including DDB, FCB and MullenLowe, consolidating overlapping networks into three global creative networks: BBDO, McCann and TBWA.

Reports indicate more than 4,000 jobs will be cut as part of the immediate post-merger realignment. Omnicom’s own announcement did not reference the retirement of these brands, but the updated organisational structure on its new website confirms the shift, with DDB, FCB and MullenLowe no longer appearing.

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