TBWA\ picks new Asia president

TBWA has promoted South Africa’s group CEO Sean Donovan (pictured) to take on the additional role of president, TBWAAsia. Donovan succeeds Ian Pearman who left the agency in February to join a consumer services start-up headquartered out of Singapore.Donovan will continue to oversee the company’s South Africa operations as group CEO while working closely with John Hunt, co-founder of TBWAHuntLascaris and creative chairman of TBWAWorldwide and Cem Topçuoğlu, president, International of TBWAWorldwide, on the search for a successor.In his new role as Asia president, Donovan will be responsible for further advancing TBWA’s position across the Asia region, with the ambition to deepen the company’s specialist units in analytics, data, consultancy, health, eCommerce, and continuing to drive creative excellence.Since late 2016 he has served as group CEO of TBWASouth Africa, responsible for seven group operating companies across the country, including TBWAHuntLascaris, GRID, Yellowwood, OpenCo, HDI Youth Marketers and Magna Carta. This also includes 19 affiliate agencies across 14 other African countries.Donovan’s tenure with TBW goes back to 2010 when the agency first acquired an equity stake in the integrated communications agency, OpenCo-The Open Collaboration, where he was the managing director and founding partner. In 2015, he assumed the reigns of TBWA’s coastal operations as managing director of TBWAHuntLascaris in Durban, before taking on the role of group CEO in December 2016. Donovan is also the founder of a tech start-up and chairperson of a non-profit company, Campaigning4Cancer.According to a media statement, with Asia as an engine of innovation and growth for the TBWA collective, Donovan’s background as an entrepreneur and his experience running a group of companies in South Africa makes him an “ideal fit” for the regional Asia role.Troy Ruhanen, CEO, TBWAWorldwide said in his time leading the agencies in South Africa, Donovan has run a group of successful companies and pushed them to the next level of performance, encouraging integration, collaboration, strengthening client relationships, attracting top talent, and driving a new standard of creativity.“Entrepreneurship and innovation are in his DNA. He’s got a knack for building chemistry across markets and leads with a roll-up-the-sleeves management style. He is the ideal person to lead the vibrant and diverse markets of Asia, where we continue to innovate at speed and scale,” he added.Meanwhile Donovan said he is “humbled and honoured” to take on this role within TBWAAsia as he had been a fan of the many innovations, products and business offerings that have come out of the region for years. He added that South Africa will always have a special place in his heart, and that he is proud to attribute his knowledge and creative compass to the African market. “It now feels like the right time to bring this knowledge and energy into a market as enterprising and progressive as Asia, and I can’t wait to grab the opportunity,” he said.Philip Brett, chief operating officer, TBWAWorldwide said Donovan has been a key part of the global leadership team for several years, and the agency has seen the impact that he has made across his market and beyond. According to Brett, Donovan is “eminently qualified” to lead a region as big, dynamic and diverse as Asia.Earlier this year, TBWA was re-appointed by Singapore Airlines as its global lead creative agency for a five-year contract, in addition to expanding its global relationship with Hilton in Asia.Read also:Ara Hampartsoumian takes CEO role in TBWASingaporeTBWAAsia names regional head to lead newly formed post-production arm BOLTTBWAWorldhealth launches in Asia starting with SingaporeTBWAAsia rolls out data and consumer insight arm Disruption ConsultingTBWAMalaysia chairman Sa’ad Hussein heads to SingaporeTBWAAsia brings on board Steve Walls for regional strategy duties