DO. Asia Hires Partner and MD, Simon Lockyer

Independent network DO. AGENCY has continued its global hiring momentum, appointing Simon Lockyer as managing director of its Asia operations. He has previously held senior leadership roles at Cognizant, Edelman, IBM, FCB, and Ogilvy, and worked client-side at Cathay Pacific.

He replaces Matt Collier, who recently departed the business for personal reasons.

Simon’s remit is to lead the DO. ASIA team, alongside partner and ECD Beer Poonnootok, across the agency's existing markets in Singapore, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, while also pursuing expansion opportunities across the region.

He told LBB the agency’s focus on “uncommon thinking” drew him to the role.

“I’ve liked what they’ve been saying in the media around ‘defying ordinary’ -- I think that’s a great articulation of what must be a starting point when you're defining ideas, when you're looking at problems in need of solutions,” Simon said of the agency’s recently-launched proposition.

“The agency is full of genuinely great people doing great things, that’s where I want to be. I've had extensive conversations with DO, and I just got the feeling that I could work with these guys.”

The micro-network was founded in 2017 by Andrew Dowling and Tom Ormes, and launched in Asia in 2022. Over the past few months in AUNZ, LBB revealed it hired ECD Neale Horrigan and the likes of client service director Tian Skene, formerly at BMF.

In May, this masthead also revealed DO. had promoted co-founder Tom to the newly-created role of group CCO to spearhead its international expansion -- its priority markets are Southeast Asia, and the UK (where it is opening an office later this year). At the time, Tom told LBB "the Asia business is probably where a lot of the big growth is happening at the moment, and that's really exciting to be a part of.

“We're in the process of opening another office in Malaysia as well at the moment, that's the sixth office in Southeast Asia, and then obviously the big waters of the UK next. So watch this space."

Tom’s co-founder Andrew, group CEO of DO., said, “It’s never easy to replace a leader like Matt Collier, so when we discovered mid-way through a region-wide search that Simon was interested, we could not have been more excited.

“His collective experience across marketing, advertising and tech in Asia, brings new motivation, perspective and opportunity to the table.”

Prior to joining the agency, Simon was a senior director at the IT company Cognizant, where he was the digital experience practice leader. He has also spent time agency-side, being appointed DDB Singapore GM in 2006, before becoming managing director of McCann Erikson Singapore in 2008.

He then consulted locally for Droga5 and TBWA before being named managing director at FCB Singapore in 2015. He would take on the same role at Edelman Singapore in 2019.

Simon sees his experience across tech and consulting as something he can “layer into” the Asia office.

“I've been behind the scenes in marketing at big brands, and I've also run the gauntlet at agencies, and network agencies that have undergone change and growth,” Simon explained.

“We are in the business of solving client problems, so making sure that we are doing great work for the existing clients, and then, not winning everything under the sun, but building that client roster -- a roster of like-minded clients that fits with us and enables growth.”

He added, “Understanding the agency’s dynamic is something I've got to do from day one. Knowing everybody is something that's dear to my heart, aligning with leadership, connecting, aligning, and getting stuck in down there.

“I’m keen to roll my sleeves up and really add some value to the team.”

He said he will bring his “four As” philosophy to the new role: augmenting, accelerating, amplifying, and advancing. According to Simon, it aligns with DO.’s existing pillars of positioning, clients, culture, and business.

“At the end of the day, it's about the people focus,” he said.

“Whether they’re clients or the agency team, building on people and culture will be the point of difference that can really make an impact in the region.”