Cheil HK hires Cannes Lions winners to bolster creative leadership

The pair will head up a new creative department in Hong Kong. They join from DDB, where they were creative directors on the agency’s largest account, McDonald’s. They have won multiple awards and new business for the agency.

At a regional level within DDB, the duo have also led creative for Unilever’s Lipton brand across seven countries in Asia-Pacific. Chan also helped pitch and win Pepsi’s Tropicana Twister account across Asia-Pacific, as well as working on Wrigley’s Skittles brand across Greater China.

During their time at DDB, they bagged three Cannes Lions in 2011 (including the first-ever Silver Lion for the agency), Gold at AdFest, Best of Show and multiple Golds at Kam Fan, Gold at the Effies and multiple wins at One Show, Clio, Spikes Asia and Longxi.

Their work was also instrumental in making DDB one of the most awarded Hong Kong agencies at Cannes 2011, Kam Fan 2011 and AdFest 2012.

Cheil has not had creative directors in Hong Kong. In the past, Cheil often sent senior management from Korea to its overseas branch offices, but cultural barriers would often hinder them. Key clients for Cheil Hong Kong include Samsung and Hankook Tyres.

“Having [Chan and Ong] onboard demonstrates our resolution to transform Cheil Hong Kong from a Korean company to one working to the best of global standards, yet remains proud of its Korean heritage," said Michael Kim, global chief operating officer at Cheil Worldwide. "Paul and SP are not only inspiring creative leaders but also two of the most inventive and yet humble people I know."

Eric Park, president of Cheil Hong Kong, added, "Their track records and unwavering focus make them natural leaders. Beyond that, their sense of fun is infectious and they will be a brilliant addition to our family.”

Paul hopes to make Cheil a fat-free agency with no fluffy philosophies, titles or layers, while Ong said that Cheil Hong Kong is like joining a startup, but with the backing of a hugely successful parent.

Cheil Worldwide took home digital campaign of the year at the 2011 Cannes Media Grand Prix for creating a virtual grocery store in a Seoul subway for Tesco (the British chain that's been renamed Homeplus in Korea).