Wavemaker Malaysia restructures leadership team to embrace growing market opportunity

Pictured (left to right): Brandon Chang (Director, Business & Trading), Ravi Singh (Client Partner), Ryan Foo (Business Director), Sheley Lim (General Manager), Usman Bin Tahir (Senior Business Director), Aw Wai Choong (Regional Planning Director), Eldon D’Cruz (Head of Strategy), Cindy Chia (APAC Managing Partner)

Wavemaker Malaysia has announced a new management team line up and leadership appointments, as it ramps up capability to take advantage of the huge growth opportunities in the market.

Sheley Lim, previously Head of Digital for Wavemaker Malaysia, is promoted to General Manager. Sheley is an experienced talent; having been in the industry for 18 years, 14 of which have been with GroupM. She has been instrumental in Wavemaker Malaysia’s own digital transformation journey, her connectedness to the Wavemaker network and personal contribution to the incredible work created in the region, makes her exceptionally qualified to drive the agency’s growth ambition, and that of its clients.

“I am excited about unleashing the full potential of Wavemaker Malaysia,” Sheley said. “My vision for the agency is to focus on a people-first company by creating an open and inclusive culture where everyone can have their voices heard and share ownership for the direction and future of the company, create and deliver fantastic, meaningful work for our clients and inspire and excite talent with our Wavemaker Provocative Planning mantra.”

As well as Sheley’s appointment, Wavemaker also announced the arrival of Usman Bin Tahir from Wavemaker Pakistan as Senior Business Director, Ryan Foo as Business Director, Aw Wai Choong as Regional Planning Director and Chua Shu Jien as Business Director. They join Brandon Chang, Ravi Singh, Eldon D’Cruz and Cindy Chia as the executive leadership of Wavemaker Malaysia.

The agency also extends its appreciation to Managing Director Michael Tan, who is leaving in mid-May to explore an opportunity outside of the network.

Wavemaker Malaysia has seen steady growth in recent years, supporting both major international clients and local enterprises with their market growth ambitions, while also building a connected Asia hub that leads and coordinates APAC business out of Kuala Lumpur. This structure produces exceptional client work, including the award-winning L’Oréal’s Virtual Beauty Festival which created new retail channels amidst the pandemic.

By embracing the trends of conversational commerce and livestreaming, the team positively provoked a four-fold increase in sales for L’Oréal in a 12-hr beauty festival on Facebook live, which engaged more than 2.6 million potential customers. This campaign has been recognized and awarded on a global stage, including WARC Media Awards 2021​ and M&M Global Awards 2021.

Wavemaker Malaysia’s key clients include Colgate-Palmolive, DHL Express, Hong Leong Assurance Berhad and Carsome.

Gordon Domlija, CEO, Wavemaker Asia-Pacific remarked “I am filled with genuine excitement and expectation at what this can achieve together. Effective leadership is increasingly a collective effort, bringing together exceptional talent, and combining their experiences and expertise to create a whole agency which is far greater than the sum of its individual parts. The future is bright and full of opportunity for Wavemaker in Malaysia.”