Sa’ad Hussein leaves Malaysia after 20 years
Industry veteran and one of Malaysia’s creative icons, Sa’ad Hussein is leaving TBWA\Malaysia to return to Singapore after spending close to 20 years in Malaysia.
Sa’ad co-founded and managed the creative shop Sil Malaysia in 1996 and in 2006 TBWA\Group acquired the agency naming it Creative Juice. Sa’ad was the executive creative director and managing director of the unit, before assuming the TBWA Group CCO position in 2013, which saw Sa’ad oversee both TBWA and Creative Juice’s portfolio of clients.
Sa’ad leaves his current role as Chairman, TBWA Malaysia Group and returns to Singapore to join his family. Sa’ad will also join TBWA\Singapore as a creative consultant, helping support and nurture the young creative talent at the agency.
Over the years Sa’ad has achieved Agency of the Year awards in the creative effectiveness and digital agency categories. Plus a slew of international award metals in Cannes, One Show, New York Fest, London International and Epica.
Nando’s was just one of the many successful campaigns
His body of work transformed the marketing landscape in Malaysia as they celebrated the local lifestyle, culture and language. This is exemplified by successful campaigns for Nando’s, Packet One (P1), Nissan, Sony, RHB and Unilever.
“I have worked with Sa’ad for almost 10 years. One thing I have learnt from him is the value of perseverance. The man sticks by what he believes in no matter what. With Sa’ad returning to Singapore, there is one less brilliant creative mind in the Malaysian Ad industry,” said Aaron Cowie, CEO of TBWA KL.
The gold-winning Packet One’s “Sudah Potong” campaign
“I had the privilege to work with Sa’ad during his Sil Ad days on the Sony brand in the 2000s. Sa’ad wisdom and magic of skillfully merging the brand’s proposition and Malaysian consumer behaviours produced countless award-winning campaigns and winning market share for Sony. Above all, he is a true gentleman and a remarkably decent man who keeps to his words,” adds Lim Teong Seng, an ex-Sony client.
“My best memory of Sa’ad is his impeccable ability to remain calm and collected when faced with resistance. His demeanour and well thought out comments are usually able to permeate through noise and clutter and people quieten down and listen when he speaks. For a relatively quiet person, he commands attention every time he makes a point. Sa’ad’s creativity and ideas are exceptional as they are not only appealing, relevant and believable but results oriented as well, indicating his focus on the end game – objectivity and performance above all else,” shares Kenny Wong, ex-CMO of Packet One.
“Whilst we’re sad to lose Sa’ad from Malaysia, we’re overjoyed we will continue to benefit from his talents in Singapore,” commented Ian Pearman, TBWA Asia President.
Sa’ad will assume the role of Creative Consultant in Singapore as of 15 January 2018.Sa’ad Hussein, former Chairman at TBWA Kuala Lumpur has left the agency after almost seven years.
