Michael Fabian joins BBDO Indonesia as executive creative director

Michael Fabian (pictured) has left his role as executive creative director at ALVA Maleo, part of Future Creative Network (FCN), to join BBDO Indonesia as executive creative director, effective 1 September 2026.

In his new role, Fabian leads the agency’s creative department alongside Marco Pim, managing partner of BBDO Indonesia, as the agency rebuilds its team and sharpens its creative ambitions.

“Together, we’re rebuilding the agency from the first hire,” Fabian told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

Fabian said BBDO Indonesia expects to complete its team in November, when it plans to introduce the full lineup. In the meantime, the agency is developing its first work for current clients and preparing for pitches for 2027.

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The leadership team also includes Rajat Basra, CEO of Omnicom Media Indonesia, and Lana Dardjowidjojo, CFO, whom Fabian credited with backing the agency’s renewed creative vision.

BBDO Indonesia is deliberately keeping its team small, with Fabian emphasising direct senior involvement in client work. “The people a client meets on day one are the people still making the work on day one hundred. You call, a partner picks up,” he said.

The agency’s first creative hires joined in October, with Fabian focused on establishing its working culture and building its client portfolio. Its immediate priorities include delivering work for existing clients and pitching for business in 2027.

“Our priority is great work,” he said. “Work for the clients who believed in us before we had a single thing to show, and work good enough that new clients come looking for it.”

Fabian said the broader objective is to restore BBDO Indonesia’s standing in the market, following a period in which the agency maintained its operations but had a limited public profile.

“There was no shutdown. The agency kept running, but it stayed out of the spotlight, mostly handling everyday work for existing clients, and over time that steady pace turned into a long quiet period,” he said.

“That’s now our challenge, and also the exciting part. With new leadership and a bigger creative ambition, you’ll see more of BBDO Indonesia showing up in the market the way it should.”

Fabian described the agency’s key performance indicator as bringing the BBDO name back to prominence in Indonesia and returning it to the country’s top tier of creative agencies.

His move follows a period at Maleo in which he helped grow the business and creative team while working across established and experimental formats.

Reflecting on his tenure, he highlighted work for Ultra Milk, including experiments with Web3, a spoof product called “The Soap”, and collaborations with Ultraman and YOASOBI.

Beyond campaigns, Fabian said he was proud of the agency’s growth, with its business and creative team expanding from around 12 people to 47. The team also received recognition across multiple categories, including digital and experimental work.

“What makes me happiest is that we kept getting our young people into finalist and winner spots at young talent competitions, again and again. Nurturing the next generation of talent is the part I’m proudest of,” he said.

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