Richard Brosgill elevated to Assembly APAC CEO

Global omnichannel media agency Assembly announced that Richard Brosgill, Assembly APAC Managing Director, has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Brosgill will continue to oversee all Assembly operations in region.

With 13 years under his belt at Assembly, Brosgill’s ambition and intuition have had a profound influence on the agency’s global success – driving consecutive double-digit growth and capturing the rapidly maturing digital landscape in Asia by providing digital-first, technology-driven, omnichannel marketing solutions for leading global brands in the region. His success and leadership were recognized as Assembly was awarded Media Agency of the Year at The Drum Digital Advertising Awards APAC 2021. Today, Brosgill has grown the team to 250+ people across eight offices, including Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Bangalore, and the agency’s newest office in Australia.

“Richard has built our APAC business from the ground up. He represents the growth mindset, the ownership and creativity we value at Assembly”, says James Townsend, Global CEO of Assembly and Stagwell Brand X Performance Network. “We see no ceiling in the APAC market.”

Brosgill said: “It’s an honour to lead our brilliant collection of individuals across the region and I’m excited to continue our growth momentum through our Assembly of data, talent and tech.”

Much of the agency’s APAC success is attributed to Brosgill’s unwavering commitment to redefining the agency-client relationship and driving continuous innovation through the development of future-facing technology, consultancy, and data propositions that strengthen the agency’s ability to meet modern client needs. It has also manifested into alternative perspectives that inject new inspiration into the industry, such as the new critical role that agencies play as brands accelerate their pursuit of in-housing and consolidation.

As the agency grows, Brosgill has placed even greater emphasis on Assembly’s people and purpose – ensuring talent flourish and grow in a safe and productive environment. Under his leadership, Assembly has been recognized as one of the champions in DE&I, being listed as one of the 20 agencies in Adland’s Diversity & Inclusion Index and awarded Best B2B D&I Program at The Drum Digital Advertising APAC Awards 2021. In addition, Brosgill himself earned a spot on the prestigious CampaignAsia 40 under 40 list in 2021.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’re building in APAC.” says Brosgill. “I remain clear-eyed and confident in our ability to navigate the nuance across APAC and find the change that fuels meaningful growth for our clients and talent as we challenge the status quo in region.”

Globally, over the last two years, Assembly has successfully transformed its business from the inside out – resulting in more media AOR engagements and double-digit growth globally and over 1600 employees worldwide. In late 2021, Assembly merged with ForwardPMX to become the flagship omnichannel media agency within Stagwell’s portfolio, and just last year, the agency underwent a refreshed brand identity to signal its next era of growth. In addition to Brosgill, Assembly elevated two additional agency leaders in its fastest-growing regions to CEO and hired a new CEO in Europe. North America President Valerie Davis has been promoted to North America CEO, MENA Managing Director Faisal Dean has been promoted to MENA CEO, and Matt Adams has been hired as CEO in Europe.

Brosgill, Davis, and Dean’s elevations, alongside Adams’ hire, are on the heels of a series of global new business wins, product launches, and partner announcements over the last few months. The agency kicked off 2023 with the launch of Clean Media Lab, a new, technology-powered media decarbonization offering first available in Europe, joined Ad Net Zero in the US and UK, and continues on its journey to becoming a B Corp, all tangible evidence of the agency’s ambition to continue developing sustainable and innovative media solutions. The agency also welcomed new clients Mandarin Oriental and T. Rowe Price into its roster and significantly increased its engagement with Lenovo globally.

Brosgill, Dean, Davis, and Adams will report to James Townsend, Global CEO of Assembly and Stagwell Brand X Performance Network. These appointments are effective immediately.