FCB Malaysia doubles down on creative firepower

Following a successful 2021 that saw FCB Malaysia win over 15 new clients and bag over 50 awards – including a hattrick of three separate agency-of-the-year trophies as Advertising+Marketing’s Overall Agency of the Year, the Dragons of Asia’s Agency of the Year as well as Campaign Asia’s Malaysian Creative Agency of the Year – the agency has made a slew of creative promotions and new hires.

Explaining why the agency decided to double down on creative talent, Ong Shi-Ping, FCB’s Co-owner & Chief Creative Officer, said, “Coming out unscathed and profitable after two difficult years of the pandemic speaks volume of the people in our agency and their grit and tenacity during adversity. We are now in a fortunate position to return the commitment by investing in their future.”

Headlining the promotions is Wang Ie Tjer, FCB Malaysia’s newly minted Head of Creative who had previously held the title of Creative Director. A member of the agency’s senior team since 2018, Tjer’s consistent delivery has been integral to FCB’s continuing success in Malaysia, as evident by the abovementioned business wins and agency accolades. Tjer’s new role will see him leading a creative team of 30, spearheading the creative efforts on key clients and new businesses, while also representing the agency as a thought leader at industry events and media engagement.

“Why Tjer? Because he is very, very good! Since becoming part of the team, Tjer has always been putting his head down to focus on nothing but doing great work, and his can-do approach to even the most challenging tasks has honed him to become a true leader who the folks in the agency can always look to for inspiration and guidance,” said Ong.

Moving up to take on Associate Creative Director roles to deliver greater leadership in copywriting and art direction are Jonathan Chan and James Voon respectively. Both won acclaim last year, with Voon taking home the Gold as Art Director of the Year and Chan bagging the Silver as Copywriter of the Year at the 2021 A+M Agency of the Year Awards.

Commenting on both promotions, Ong said, “James and Jonathan, who were previously Creative Group Heads, are our agency’s dynamic duo, taking on jobs that many others would shun and then turning them into gold… every single time. Tjer, James and Jon are like 3 peas in a pod, and they’ve been instrumental in helping the agency navigate the difficult years with their stubborn optimism (even in the wee hours), leadership qualities and honest, good work.”

Also receiving promotions are Megan Ong and Wong Ching Sin as Senior Copywriters and Ahmad Hafidz as Senior Art Director.

“I see exciting times ahead with these three young creative talents. They have shown that they can step up to the challenge and deliver the goods even when the going gets super tough. With their attitude and potential, the sky’s the limit for them,” added Ong.

In addition to the promotions, the agency has also made numerous new creative hires, with Suah Boon Chuan joining FCB as Associate Creative Director. Formerly of Dentsu and TBWA, Suah brings over 15 years of award-winning experience through his work with marquee brands like Pepsi-Co, Nestle, KFC, Volkswagen and HSBC.

“Boon was someone we’ve had our eyes on for some time now and we’re chuffed that he has decided to join us.  Together with James and Jon, he will be part of the senior creative leadership team that is led by Tjer. They will be tasked to uphold the quality of the work, be accountable for all creative output and provide necessary guidance to help the agency’s young creatives grow.”

Suah is joined by other recent creative hires – Senior AV Producer Amin Taib, Senior Art Director Lim Poh Yeng, Senior Graphic Designer Muhammad Fadhli, and Graphic Designers Tan Lai Kuen and Muhammad Syamim.

“If there’s one positive that we can take out from this pandemic, it’s that we’re certain that the future of FCB Malaysia is in very, very good hands,” Ong surmised.