Announced by the CEO of JWT Asia-Pacific, Tom Doctoroff, the appointment is effective next Monday (4 March). It also marks Tan’s homecoming to the agency.
“She knows the Malaysian business environment, and our team on the ground, inside out," Doctoroff said. "She is a shrewd strategist, boasts extensive experience across a broad range of industries and, finally, has a winning combination of heart and drive.”
Doctoroff also expressed appreciation to Sakia for the "significant role" he has played in enhancing the agency's creative output and partnerships with clients.
Sakia, who moved to JWT to take up the position of CEO from iris India two years ago, is looking to pursue new career opportunities.
Tan began her career at JWT Kuala Lumpur in 1996, where she worked on a range of clients, including De Beers, Kraft and Roche. She then moved to Grey where she spent four years working on a regional P&G role, before returning to JWT Kuala Lumpur for the position of business unit head, leading accounts such as Nestlé, Nokia, Ford, Sony, Reckitt Benckiser and YTL Communications.
She then moved to JWT Beijing in 2010, where she served as the business director for the Nokia China account. During her tenure, she led multi-agency teams to develop insight-driven creative content that worked across social media and offline channels.
JWT Beijing won multiple awards for the Nokia N9 campaign, including the 2011 Nokia Global Sales & Marketing Grand Prix Award and the 2012 China ROI Gold Award.