Ampersand Advisory, 7 x #1 ranked agency in 2024, Expands Creative Team with Exciting New Hires and Promotions

Ampersand Advisory, a leading consultagency known for its innovative approach that seamlessly integrates creative, media, PR and data, announced the strengthening of its creative department with several noteworthy hires, as well as a key promotion.

This strategic move reinforces Ampersand Advisory’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge creative solutions that work smoothly off media and business insights to drive brand sales growth.

The new folks bring a wealth of experience across branding, short-form storytelling, and bleeding-edge design, ensuring Ampersand Advisory remains at the forefront of the rapidly evolving marketing landscape. As brands navigate an increasingly complex digital ecosystem, the firm is strengthening its capabilities to deliver compelling campaigns across all mediums, from TV to Outdoor to digital.

“We are thrilled to welcome these dynamic and talented individuals to boost our award-winning creative team,” said Janice Kiew, Head of Creative Services at Ampersand Advisory.

“We won 127 awards in 2024. And we were ranked #1 in 7 different competitions. So why do we need new people? It’s quite simple.

With their proven expertise, newly-minted fresh perspectives, and general all-round creative flair, we believe our newly strengthened team will be instrumental in shaping the next chapter of our journey. Our creative efforts will always remain true and committed to the motto that drives our company: business results now!”

Introducing some of the new Creative Minds at Ampersand Advisory:

• Claudia Low, Creative Director – Claudia is a copy-based creative with over 15 years of experience in digital marketing and women’s publishing across Southeast Asia. With a background in branding, communications, and creative writing, she has worked with brands like Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, and U Mobile, bringing fresh perspectives to storytelling. Claudia’s expertise spans across print, digital, and social media, with previous roles as editor of CLEO Magazine and Tongue in Chic.

She said, “Creativity thrives in collaboration, and I’m excited to lead our diverse team — a melting pot of perspectives, backgrounds and ideas — to craft bold, meaningful work. I look forward to pushing boundaries, telling great stories, and making an impact together.”

• Jeff Ng, Head of Art – Bringing a sharp eye and a keen sense of visual flair, Jeff has worked at Ampersand Advisory for more than 5 years, and has been promoted to Head of Art, overseeing the visual aesthetic for the agency. He will be responsible for ensuring the company’s output has eye-catching appeal, emotional resonance, and strong visual  impact across all creative outputs.
• Ralve Khor, Group Head – Ralve Khor is an award-winning creative with accolades from Cannes, D&AD, Spikes Asia, and The One Show and worked on notable brands such as CelcomDigi, Coway, and 7-Eleven. Never one to settle for the ordinary, Ralve embraces challenges with an unconventional approach, blending bold ideas with good craft in his work. He’s set on creating pockets of ideas that won’t go unnoticed, ideas that will make people’s heads turn.
• Christie Herman – A well-respected name in Malaysian advertising, he is a veteran who has worked on both local and international brands in Malaysia and regionally. Won over 80 local and global awards. Fortunately, he still gets goosebumps about good ideas.And he loves working with young creatives, as he says it keeps him ageless.

These hires reflect Ampersand Advisory’s belief that creativity, backed by strategy and insights, is the key to crafting business results for clients. As part of its ongoing expansion, the company is also investing in new AI tools and technology to support the creative team in delivering groundbreaking work.

“Our clients look to us for innovative ideas that drive results,” added Kiew. “By strengthening our creative department with top-tier talent, we are reinforcing our ability to deliver bold, disruptive, and effective campaigns that are grounded in logic yet rise beyond to push conventional boundaries.”

Citing examples of the consultagency’s differentiated creative work, Kiew talked about 5 projects:

1. The Alliance Bank Bizsmart Challenge Film: Ampersand Advisory worked with its forward-thinking client to document and film the entire months long competition, resulting in a full length movie which was aired in November 2024, and will premiere with augmented footage in June 2025.This is a first of its kind in the banking industry.
2. Calpis Chewy Grape launch, featuring AINA: while Media Prima created AINA, Malaysia’s first AI radio DJ, she was essentially two-dimensional. Ampersand’s creative and production crews figured out how to make her a three dimensional character who could appear in TV commercials, fake news and online videos. Calpis Chewy Grape reached over 35 million Malaysians with AINA, and scored record sales. This campaign has won 12 awards.
3. TENA Active Ageing Report and Band Hunt: Malaysia’s largest adult diaper brand, needs to assert its category leadership. It published the first ever ageing report, which highlighted surprising facts about Malaysian seniors, and struck a chord with government policymakers. Going beyond, TENA also launched TENACITY, the hunt for a band composed of senior musicians. This bandhunt generated significant PR buzz and highlighted the importance of Active Ageing, the brand proposition that TENA championed. This campaign has won 13 awards.
4. Shiseido VR World: When Covid was at its worst, department store counters were closed, and Shiseido couldn’t sample its legendary Ultimune 3rd generation product. Enter Ampersand, with its idea to launch a Virtual Reality experience. With 7 levels of interactions, ranging from educative games to ordering samples to explaining the formulation, the VR Ginza Street, an homage to Shiseido’s flagship, was an outstanding success. So much so that it went beyond Malaysia, and was replicated in Europe in 5 different languages and across 17 Continental markets, online and on ground in retail stores. This campaign also won 16 awards in 1 year. 
5. Enfagrow AI song in appreciation of mothers: Mother’s Day was the perfect occasion to honour our mothers’ indispensable role and reinforce the brand’s commitment to nurturing every child’s potential, in an innovative manner to stand out. As a tribute, we crafted an A.I.-generated song using real toddlers babblings and sounds, showcasing our advanced technology and expertise. This innovative initiative not only secured us a place in the Malaysia Book of Records for featuring the most toddler voices in such a song but also highlighted the profound impact of music in connecting people and fostering emotional resonance. Additionally, it drove a sales increase of +7%. It worked so well that Enfagrow deployed it in Singapore too, with Ampersand Advisory!  

With such accomplished and path-breaking projects under its belt, Ampersand Advisory, with its new and improved team, is poised to take its creative offerings to new heights.

Kiew signs off: “The firm remains dedicated to raising its ambitions, pushing boundaries and defying conventions.”