New leadership for Ogilvy PR Asia Pacific

Ogilvy Public Relations (Ogilvy PR) today announced the upcoming retirement of Steve Dahllof (left), President & CEO of Ogilvy PR, Asia Pacific, and the agency’s appointment of Scott Kronick, current President of Ogilvy PR, North Asia as his successor.

Dahllof announced to staff today his plan to retire as Ogilvy PR’s leader in Asia Pacific at the end of 2013 after 26 years with the agency. Kronick (pictured), also a 26-year Ogilvy veteran, will officially assume the role on January 1, 2014 and will continue to be based in Beijing.

The announcement comes well in advance of Dahllof’s departure as the two will work together as a team for the rest of the year to ensure a smooth transition for clients and staff. “Steve has been an agent of change throughout his long career with Ogilvy and his time as a leader in Asia is no exception. In the last four years he has done a brilliant job in continuing to grow Ogilvy PR into the largest, most successful public relations agency in Asia.

He leaves us in a very strong position in the marketplace and for that we will be forever grateful. While we will miss having him in the office everyday we are very glad that he will stay engaged with the agency as a consultant,” said Christopher Graves, Global CEO, Ogilvy PR. “At the same time, we couldn’t be more fortunate than to have Scott Kronick step up to the regional leadership role. 

Over the past two decades Scott has built the strongest agency in China from the ground up, while also leading our PR operations in North Asia for the last four years. His skill with clients, ability to create and maintain a strong team around him, and most of all his passion for the business make him the clear and obvious choice,” added Graves.

Kronick joined Ogilvy PR in New York in 1987 before moving to Asia four years later to expand the Taipei office. He has spent the last 22 years in greater China, founding Ogilvy PR’s offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in the mid-90s and then growing the firm’s operations into one of the largest and most influential PR firms in China.

In addition to his many accomplishments, Kronick has been the recipient of the Individual

Achievement SABRE Award in 2012, China International PR Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and was named “PR Agency Head of the Year” in 2008 at the Asia Pacific PR Awards. Under his leadership, Ogilvy PR was named “Asia Pacific Consultancy of the Year” by The Holmes Report in 2009, “PR Consultancy of the Year” at the Asia Pacific PR Awards in 2008 and “Network of the Year in Asia Pacific” by PRWeek in 2002.

“I am humbled and honored to be the next leader for this region. Steve leaves very big shoes to fill and I have a lot to learn,” said Scott Kronick, President & CEO-elect of Ogilvy PR, Asia Pacific. “I 2 am eager to embrace the next phase of where we as a company need to focus on given the changing dynamics of the marketing services industry. Our clients are asking for help in the area of ‘content that connects’ and we are best equipped to deliver upon that need. I have never felt as optimistic as I do today about Ogilvy Public Relations as marketing disciplines collide, priorities shift and content and storytelling prevail.”

Paul Heath, Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, stated, “I am delighted to welcome Scott to our Asia Executive Committee where his deep China expertise and history of innovation in both social and embedded creative leadership will help accelerate the introduction of new offers and services into the Asia network.” Commenting on his departure Dahllof said, “I’ve held some of the best jobs in the business from creative director to head of the agency’s global Strategy+Planning unit and Managing Director of Ogilvy PR’s largest office, Washington, DC to lead of EAME, but there are none that I have enjoyed more than my time in Asia Pacific. It is the perfect position from which to retire and I move on knowing that I’ve left my role in the most capable of hands.”

As Kronick prepares to broaden his focus to the Asia Pacific region he will be supported in China by the strong and stable foundation of 13 leaders in the Ogilvy PR China Executive Committee that will be led by Debby Cheung, Group Managing Director of Ogilvy PR China, who has been with the firm for 23 years.