Chris Riley Appointed Group Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Singapore

Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) has announced the promotion of Chris Riley to the position of chairman of O&M Group Singapore. Riley, who was appointed chief operating officer for the group in January this year, will transition over the next few months with Fiona Gordon who has successfully led the operation since 2011.

Paul Heath, chairman of O&M Asia Pacific said “It goes without saying that we have a lot to thank Fiona for when it comes to making our Singapore operation a world-class international hub for the network. Last year alone, Fiona led our efforts in crowning O&M Singapore as Campaign Asia’s Creative Agency of the Year, Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year, and her eye for new business also saw O&M win the #1 position in R3’s New Business League with thanks to some significant local wins. It was no surprise when she also took home the very well earned accolade as Campaign Asia’s Southeast Asia Agency Head of the Year. We wish her great success back in Ogilvy London.”

An announcement on Gordon’s new position within O&M United Kingdom will be shared in due course.

Riley is no stranger to either Singapore or the regional network in Asia Pacific as he celebrates his 20th anniversary at Ogilvy & Mather. He joined back in 1995 with OgilvyOne Worldwide Hong Kong, eventually relocating in 2004 to lead the OgilvyOne operation in Singapore as managing director.

After successful agency roles in both locations, he took responsibility for OgilvyOne across South Asia in 2008, and in 2010 was appointed managing director of IBM Brand Services for global emerging markets spanning Asia, Latam, Eastern Europe and Africa - a position that also saw him join the global IBM leadership team for Ogilvy. More recently, Riley has turned his attention back to the Singapore business during the past year, working closely with Fiona as the COO for the group, which places him well for this next role.

Commenting on his appointment, Riley said: “Our Singapore operation has gone from strength to strength with Fiona’s leadership. It is a privilege to take the helm of such a successful agency business with such a strong management team in place. We’ve mapped our ambition for the next five years, and I’m excited with the opportunity to evolve our talent and services to raise the bar even further for our clients.”

The position of group chairman for O&M Singapore reports to Kent Wertime, O&M’s chief operating officer in Asia Pacific, who also heads ASEAN.

Speaking of the appointment, Wertime said: “We can’t be more thrilled to have Chris leading our operation in Singapore, and more proud to make such a significant appointment via our internal ranks. He has already contributed consistently to our Singapore business year-after-year, so I have no hesitation that he’s the person to help us maintain our leading position particularly in the areas of digital, data, social, and other growing parts of our business.”