OLIVER sets up APAC creative council to advance regional ambitions

OLIVER, an in-house marketing transformation company under The Brandtech Group, has established an APAC creative council, bringing together regional creative and operational leaders to strengthen creative standards and accelerate its AI transformation.

The council will be led by Patrick Miciano, OLIVER's newly appointed APAC chief creative officer, who will work alongside Paul Bonnette, APAC CEO, and Rodrigo Sobral, global chief creative officer. Miciano brings 20 years of advertising experience across APAC, including Indonesia and the Philippines.

OLIVER's regional council also includes five senior leaders based across the Philippines, India, Singapore and Australia, each overseeing a key area of operations, from AI and integration to visual craft, copywriting and creative operations.

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"Establishing the APAC regional creative council is the first of many steps we're taking to operationalise creative excellence in the era of AI," said Miciano. "The council brings together creative, tech and ops leaders who excel in craft, ideation, storytelling, orchestration and technology. This powerhouse team will deliver game-changing work for our customers."

Among the new appointments, Garvey Zacarias will serve as regional creative director and head of art, bringing experience from campaigns for Maya, Manulife, adidas and Unilever. He joined OLIVER Philippines in 2019 and later became a regional associate creative director in 2023.

Hope Reyes, regional creative director and head of copy, will partner with Zacarias to oversee the region's creative output. She has worked on accounts for Grab, Unilever and Netflix, with previous agency experience at MullenLowe TREYNA and GIGIL before joining OLIVER as a regional associate creative director in 2024.

Meanwhile, Sriranjini Ramachandran has been promoted from regional operations director to senior regional creative operations director. She will lead operational strategy for key growth priorities, drawing on experience across more than 10 markets.

Matt Johnson, head of AI and regional creative director, will lead initiatives spanning generative AI, automation, agentic workflows and advanced prompt engineering, combining his advertising experience with emerging technologies.

Rounding out the council is Sam Dedel, head of integration and regional creative director, who will oversee the management of briefs and resources, using automation and measurement to support locally relevant work at scale.

Bonnette said the council would help OLIVER strengthen its creative capabilities while scaling execution across its regional operations.

"APAC's most innovative brands need creative thinking that matches their ambition. That's why we've assembled a council of the region's brightest minds, with the judgment, craft, and customer insight to elevate everything we deliver," he said.

"This council amplifies our talent, training, and technology across the region. We're not just improving outputs; we're building an engine that scales, accelerates execution, and gives our customers a competitive advantage they can't get anywhere else."

OLIVER APAC has more than 1,100 employees across 70 dedicated content studios, supporting over 500 brands. Its regional teams produce content in more than 20 languages. Globally, OLIVER employs more than 4,500 professionals embedded across 1,500 businesses and brands in more than 40 countries.

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