Founder Finance taps OMD China for media duties

The appointment follows a recent pitch which also included the incumbent Universal McCann. 

OMD was awarded the Finance Services segment while UM retains Founder's IT segment. UM first won the media business in April 2010 and went on to retain the buying and planning business for the IT segment in February this year. 

Speaking of the win, SiewPing Lim, CEO of OMD China, said, “Founder is one of the most respected companies in China and definitely one of the top Chinese brands."  

"The team is charged to deliver on the vision of the brand in a fast and dynamic market. We look forward to helping the Founder Brand Management team to build a strong global brand that is based in China," she added. A release stated Founder Finance Services is slated to launch a major brand campaign in the second half of 2011.

According to an undisclosed source, the monitored media spend for the Finance Services segment is estimated to be between US$89 to 90 million.

In April, Founder reportedly handed its public relations account to Ruder Finn.

The Founder Group was founded in China in 1986 as a business extension of Peking University, which remains a close partner. Since then is has grown to become one of the largest conglomerates in China, boasting with over 20,000 employees and presence in China, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and the United States.