SMG and VivaKi Malaysia CEO exits

Ahmad El Hamawi ,CEO of SMG and VivaKi Malaysia has left the agency. Both SMG and El Hamwi have confirmed the move to A+M.El Hamawi (pictured) took on the role in November last year, relocating from South Africa.“El Hamawi has informed me of his decision to make a change in the direction of his personal life. In his seven months with us as CEO of VivaKi Malaysia, El Hamawi deployed his business development experience in the Middle East and Africa behind the Malaysia new business drive. He has also brought new client relationship management best practices to the Malaysia operation, stemming from his past experience with Aprais,”  Jeffrey Seah, CEO Starcom MediaVest Group SEA, Country Chair VivaKi told A+M.Seah added that the agency has also commenced search to identify a new leader for its Malaysia office. In the meantime, Wong Pi Yee, managing director, VivaKi will manage the business operations with increased support from the leadership in Southeast Asia.El Hamawi has had over 14 years of industry experience. Prior to his role in Malaysia, he was the regional client managing director, SMG, South Africa. In the CEO role, he oversaw the media business communication business for Samsung across 45 African markets, where he elevated communications planning, drove media innovation and digital integration across all campaigns. He has also been the key driving force of growth for VivaKi.