Ogilvy Thailand elevates Jiravara Virayavardhana to Chief Executive role effective immediately

Ogilvy Thailand has promoted Jiravara Virayavardhana to be its new Chief Executive, starting from today onwards. A reputable Ogilvy veteran and communications expert, Virayavardhana will be overseeing all aspects of business performances, people management, and client relationships for the company, as well as implementing the strategic direction of creativity powered by data and technology that has real impact on real life.

Virayavardhana first joined Ogilvy Thailand in 1995 and has been promoted to various senior positions including the Managing Director of Ogilvy Thailand in January 2016, after taking the role of Managing Director of Ogilvy Public Relations for the past 8 years. She has great experience in handling various blue chip international and local clients across industries, from consumer goods, food and nutrition, retail, health, beauty, fashion, and technology, as well as cooperation with large government agencies and NGOs. Throughout the past 27 years that she’s been with Ogilvy, she has demonstrated profound understanding of clients’ brands and businesses, along with the consumers’ wants and needs. She has always been able to use creativity, data, and technology to turn challenges into achievements – enabling phenomenal success and impact for the clients’ organizations, the people, and the society.

Virayavardhana is also a contributing writer for several leading Thai business and women’s lifestyle media and has published several books on personal development and leadership. She has frequently been invited by prominent media both local and international and appeared at high-profile industry events to share her deep insights on communication and management – from how to lead the organization through change for a leading technology media in Asia, to being hailed as a Women to Watch by a notable business and marketing media in Asia Pacific for her ability to lead and make waves in the communication industry. Apart from that, she regularly lectures on Modern Marketing, Personal Branding, and Crisis Management at universities across Thailand.

Virayavardhana said: “I am very pleased and honored to be at the helm of Ogilvy Thailand. To me and all Ogilvy people, what makes us different is our unique ability to use creativity to solve our clients’ problems – from the way we discover insights to the way we produce our works. So, no matter how dynamic the trends, as long as we can wield our creativity effectively, we can create great works that has real impact on real life.”

“What I aim to do under this new role is to spread this belief to our clients and partners. Faced with today’s challenges, we could not simply rely on the same strategies and tactics to help us get by. We need to differentiate ourselves through our work and transforming the ways we do our business. To help our clients at a challenging time, we will focus on making works that create an impact in three, vital areas: Impact for People: showing how the products and services make people’s lives better and easier. Impact for Planet: demonstrating the brands’ contribution in improving our community, society, and the world we live in. Impact for Performance: while accelerating growth for brands and businesses sustainably. We will be the driver for positive change through this Impact Framework, and we will bring our people, our clients, and our industry forward with us.”

Nopadol Srikieatikajohn, Chairman of Ogilvy Thailand, said: “Throughout her time with Ogilvy, Jiravara has devoted herself for the growth of the company and our clients’ businesses. She has fully immersed herself into the challenges and risen above all with effective and sustainable solutions. The works under her supervision did not only shape people’s affections, but also their thoughts and behaviors, and went on to create ripple effects that transformed our society for the better. She is a true female icon who is loved and respected not just within the Ogilvy network, but by the wider communication community. I believe that, with her new, well-deserved role, Jiravara will continue to empower her people and bring our company forward with her unmatched business and emotional intelligence.”