Chris Riley departs as head of Singapore after more than 25 years with Ogilvy in Asia

Chris Riley, who is currently the Group Chairman of Ogilvy Singapore and Malaysia, has made the decision to leave Ogilvy to pursue an opportunity in the transport/ tech sector based in the United States. Riley, who has been with Ogilvy in Asia for more than 25 years, originally joined Ogilvy Hong Kong in 1995.

Riley has held several key roles across the agency group, including managing the Experience business in Hong Kong, leading the growth of IBM across 147 growth markets, and for the last 6 years as Ogilvy Singapore CEO and Group Chairman for Singapore and Malaysia.

Kent Wertime, who is the co-CEO for Ogilvy Asia, will take on the additional role of Group Chairman for Ogilvy Singapore and Malaysia, and a new Singapore CEO will be named shortly. Wertime is already very familiar with the office and clients, having worked closely with the Singapore Group over the past two decades. Wertime and Riley will be working closely to manage the transition smoothly.

Wertime said: “I’ve worked closely with Chris for over two decades and would like to thank him for his many contributions to Ogilvy. He has been a true example of Ogilvy at its best. We will miss him but wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

Riley said: “I’m eternally grateful to Ogilvy for providing such stimulating career opportunities which I’ve thoroughly embraced. I’ve worked with fantastic clients, colleagues and friends, and now have an opportunity to apply my skills and experience to something completely new and different.”

Last year, Ogilvy globally moved to a new structure with five businesses, with regional and local leadership of each business. This structure is fully in place in Singapore and has seen the business clinch over 25 new accounts during the past year, with brands across categories such as technology, retail, financial services and healthcare, and an additional 21 new creative hires. The agency will continue to develop the agency and leadership roles whilst providing full continuity for clients.

Announcements on further senior appointments in Singapore will be made in due course.