Ogilvy has appointed Y&R Singapore CEO Shirley Tay as Executive Group Director in Singapore. The move for Tay marks a return to the Ogilvy family.
Tay will report to Chris Riley, Chief Executive, Ogilvy Singapore and is tasked with driving integrated marketing work across industries in Singapore and internationally.
“I couldn’t be happier to have Shirley, our shining alumni, back at Ogilvy,” said Riley. “Shirley returns to us with the full suite of skills and values that are so highly desired in an agency leader.”
Tay brings with her more than two decades of experience in integrated marketing and communications. Most recently, she was Chief Executive Officer of Y&R Singapore and also served as Managing Director and founding partner at creative agency Zoo Group.
Tay began her marketing career with Ogilvy in Singapore and quickly rose through the ranks during a 15-year tenure, eventually becoming the first woman to hold the position of Managing Director at the agency.
Her leadership was defined by strong employee retention and warmth for colleagues and clients. Notably, she led Health Promotion Board’s integrated ‘I Quit’ campaign which took home Singapore’s first-ever Gold at the IPA Effectiveness Awards in 2012.
“Returning to Ogilvy makes me feel right at home,” said Tay. “This is an agency that helped to shape my career and has remained close to my heart because of its people, culture and creative excellence. I am excited to inject a new energy and perspective in Singapore’s leading agency at a time of great transformation for our clients and industry.”
