Kien Eng Tan named CEO, dentsu Malaysia

Dentsu Malaysia today announces the appointment of Kien Eng Tan as Chief Executive Officer, effective 8 February 2021. Kien will report to Ashish Bhasin, CEO, dentsu Asia Pacific. 

Kien Eng Tan is a results-orientated leader with over 30 years’ experience in advertising and communications. Viewed by many as a home-grown creative icon he has held senior leadership roles in the industry for 15 years and has a strong reputation for client-centricity and brand growth. Formerly CEO, Publicis Groupe Malaysia, Kien’s teams have won multiple awards for their clients under his stewardship.

Nicky Lim, the current Chief Executive Officer, is moving on from his role to pursue other interests and leaves on Monday 15 February, ensuring a smooth transition of leadership in the market. 

Ashish Bhasin commented “I am delighted to have Kien take over at such an important time. Over the years he has built a formidable reputation creating visionary work and growth for brands, as well as strong and united teams and I am looking forward to seeing him take Malaysia into its next era of growth. Nicky has been CEO at dentsu Malaysia for almost six years; I’d like to thank him for his leadership and wish him success with his future endeavours”

In his role as CEO, dentsu Malaysia, Kien will be responsible for continuing the business’ transformation journey, driving integration across Media, Creative and CXM service lines, building a strong culture with our people and growth for our clients’ business. 

“I am excited to be joining dentsu, with its strong heritage of innovation at such a pivotal time.” said Kien Eng Tan. “The market has never been more dynamic with COVID-19 rewriting consumer behaviour and therefore, expectations of the brands they engage with. Dentsu is excellently placed to capitalise on this pivot for its clients, and I am looking forward to working with the teams to develop and grow these opportunities.”

After 20 years of evolving technology, shifting market trends, and adapting to changing consumer behaviour, the media landscape has nearly reached saturation.

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