Uday Desai exits dentsu Creative Malaysia

dentsu Creative Malaysia's managing director Uday Desai (pictured) has exited the agency, with his final day being 31 December 2025. Confirming his departure with A+M, Audrey Chong, dentsu Malaysia, CEO, said: "We thank Uday for his contributions to dentsu and wish him well as he pursues his next adventure."

Desai had been in the role for a year, since January 2025, focusing on scaling the agency's creative business. He has over 20 years of experience in shaping brands across APAC, MENA and India. He had joined dentsu with extensive client experience across major agency groups, such as Hakuhodo First Bangkok, BBDO Thailand, Publicis One, and Y&R. Before taking on the role as dentsu Creative Malaysia's MD, Desai was an integrated client partner at dentsu Vietnam.

Don't miss: LEGO Group nabs dentsu Creative SG MD as agency business partner director

In a statement shared with A+M, Desai looked back on his time with the creative arm. "I see this moment as a natural transition point. I am proud of the work done at dentsu Creative Malaysia and the people I had the chance to collaborate with." He also added: "I am now looking ahead to the next chapter, focused on opportunities that allow me to build impactful work, culture, and leadership at scale."

Earlier in December last year, dentsu Creative Singapore's MD Fiona Huang joined the LEGO Group as its new business partner director at Our LEGO Agency APAC, the brand's in-house creative and marketing hub for the region. Huang will work alongside The LEGO Agency, APAC head of creative Primus Nair to steer, nurture, and elevate the agency team, developing campaigns and marketing initiatives for LEGO. She will report to Annie Boo, head of LEGO Agency APAC and China.

Reflecting on her time with dentsu, Huang said, “Every role I take on, I try to take with me learnings that I then take to my next chapter. In my time at dentsu, the leadership role and people there have given me room to explore my ways, thinking, and beliefs as I leaned into its distinct philosophy in relationships and strong media legacy.

Meanwhile, this comes as dentsu named Yuichi Toyoda as CEO of dentsu Asia Pacific, effective 1 January 2026. He will also join the group executive management team, reporting to Hiroshi Igarashi, dentsu’s president and global CEO. Since 2022, Toyoda has led Dentsu Inc’s global division and Dentsu Group solutions office.

In September, dentsu Indonesia also announced a new creative leadership line-up as part of its strategy to blend continuity with innovation. The network has welcomed back Lucky Handoko as general manager of dentsu Creative Indonesia, while elevating Defri Dwipaputra and Rangga Immanuel to dual chief creative and experience officer (CCXO) positions.

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