VML and Publicis veteran Shailesh Iyer lands strategic role at ByteDance Indonesia

ByteDance Indonesia has named Shailesh Iyer as its new head of agency and partnerships, marking a major cross-industry move for the seasoned strategist after nearly two decades leading strategy at top creative networks across Asia and the Middle East.

Iyer announced the appointment via LinkedIn, writing: “It felt like the right time to cross over - and what better place than ByteDance, where culture, creativity, and entertainment collide at a global scale. From bold brand ideas to breakthrough partnerships, I’m here to help businesses grow through the power of joyful, scroll-stopping creativity.”

Most recently, Iyer served as chief strategy officer (CSO) at VML Singapore, where he played a pivotal role in pushing the agency’s creative product and global client relationships, particularly for Unilever’s flagship brands Lux and Radiant. With his support, the agency rose from 11th to 5th place in Singapore’s creative rankings in 2023.

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Before VML, he spent over five years at Publicis Groupe Indonesia as group CSO, leading strategy across creative, digital, and media disciplines. There, he built a hybrid team model under “Publicis S.E.A.L” and oversaw regional work for Mondelez, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and McDonald’s, among others.

Iyer also previously held regional leadership roles at Leo Burnett in Dubai and Singapore, steering brand transformation efforts for Philip Morris, Samsung, SK-II, and FrieslandCampina. His work often connected digital ecosystems with cultural insight and commercial impact - traits likely to translate well at ByteDance, where performance and entertainment meet at scale.

His appointment comes as ByteDance continues deepening its local agency and brand relationships in Indonesia, a key market for the company’s commercial growth in Southeast Asia. Iyer’s hire signals a more integrated approach to partnerships - one that blends creativity, commerce, and cultural fluency.

It also comes amid a broader restructuring at ByteDance’s eCommerce operations in Indonesia, where the company reportedly began laying off hundreds of employees following the January 2024 merger of TikTok Shop and Tokopedia, according to Bloomberg. Indonesia was among ByteDance’s earliest and most promising eCommerce battlegrounds, but competition remains fierce from rivals such as Shopee and Lazada.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to both Iyer and ByteDance Indonesia for more information.

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