NEW YORK Ambar Brahmachary, president of WPP Group’s JWT Japan, is shifting to sister shop Young & Rubicam to become president of Y&R’s Asian region.
Brahmachary, who starts in mid-December, will oversee Y&R offices in about a dozen Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
He assumes duties previously held by Chris Jaques, the former CEO of Y&R in Asia, who this month became CEO of Y&R’s North American operations in New York [Adweek Online, Sept. 21].
Jaques also oversaw sister shop Wunderman in Asia; Wunderman is not part of Brahmachary’s brief. The new Asian leader will be based in Singapore and report to worldwide CEO Hamish McLennan.
“He’s known for building great teams,” said McLennan of Brahmachary, adding, “He navigated building business in Japan brilliantly.”
As president of JWT Japan, Brahmachary, 54, was based in Tokyo, where he spent 10 years. Key clients there include Unilever, Nestle, the Diamond Trading Co. and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.
Before that, Brahmachary worked at JWT’s offices in Taiwan, where he was deputy general manager, and New Delhi, India, where he held a series of posts, including client services director and director of account planning. All told, he spent some 30 years at JWT.
JWT is mulling two candidates to fill the JWT Japan post, one within the agency and one from outside, according to worldwide president Michael Maedel. The agency hopes to name a successor next month.
Y&R Finds New Asian Chief at JWT
