TBWA's leadership for Greater China, SG and MY unchanged amid Omnicom-IPG merger

TBWA's latest leadership structure for Greater China, Singapore and Malaysia will remain unchanged following the US$13.3 billion merger between Omnicom and Interpublic, as confirmed to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

Under the current structure, Joanne Lao (pictured middle) will remain as CEO of TBWA\Greater China, while Mandy Wong (pictured left) will continue as the president for TBWA\Singapore. Meanwhile, Yee Hui Tsin (pictured right) will remain as the CEO of TBWA\Malaysia. 

In a statement sent to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson from Omicom Advertising (OA) said its leadership structure in Asia remains unchanged. Due to the complementary footprint of the OA and IPG creative agency brands, most markets in Asia remain unchanged. Some new roles will be announced in January.

Lao, based in Shanghai, oversees nearly 600 employees across six offices and seven group brands. Before joining TBWA, Lao spent seven years in the travel industry. Lao was then transferred to Singapore as Banyan Tree’s head of corporate communications. After seven years in Singapore, Lao moved to Hong Kong, and in 2006 was appointed managing director of TBWA\Hong Kong, before taking up her position in 2015 running Greater China operations. 

Wong has been with TBWA\Singapore for over two decades, where her experience and expertise have led her to focus on driving highly demanding and complex global and regional accounts within the collective. During her time at the agency, she had worked with various renowned brands such as the Singapore Tourism Board, Standard Chartered Bank, Airbnb and Carltex. 

On the other hand, Yee has been the CEO of TBWA\Malaysia since 2021, three years after she was promoted to managing director from COO following the departure of Aaron Cowie. 

She was also the general manager of TBWA\ Digital Arts Network at one point. Most recently under her watch, TBWA bagged the Wipro Unza Malaysia creative account for its fragrance and kids categories, following a competitive pitch in August 2025. 

The confirmation of TBWA’s stable leadership comes amid sweeping changes at Omnicom following its acquisition of Interpublic. As part of the integration process, Omnicom is consolidating overlapping networks—FCB is being folded into BBDO, while DDB and MullenLowe are being absorbed into TBWA.

Though Omnicom’s public announcement did not explicitly mention the retirement of these legacy brands, the updated Omnicom website reflects the shift. DDB, FCB, and MullenLowe no longer appear in the creative network structure, which is now streamlined around three global agencies: BBDO, McCann, and TBWA.

In Asia, Sean Donovan will lead Omnicom Advertising. The three global networks will be supported by a collection of 12 creative boutiques, including Alma, antoni, Carmichael Lynch, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Lucky Generals, and The Martin Agency, all of which retain their individual leadership.

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