Vasallo joins OMD Philippines as MD

Cookie Bartolome, a vice-president at UM, left the agency in May to join Carat Philippines as its MD.

Vasallo, who has been with Universal McCann for seven years and has 22 years of media planning and buying experience, has joined OMD Philippines as MD, reporting to Hermie de Leon, president and CEO, Omnicom Media Group. Felipino, a 15-year veteran with the media agency, will be leaving the industry.

Jim Goh (pictured), CEO of OMG Southeast Asia, said: “Malu was instrumental in the delivery of the strategic and financial goals of Universal McCann. Her strength in new business acquisition contributed significant growth. We expect her to bring the same acumen to OMD and lead the team to the next level.”

On her appointment, Vasallo noted: “What attracted me to this post is the chance to be with one of the biggest media networks in the world. I am excited to learn from the best of the best in the field of communications planning.”

According to a source, the recent departures have been influenced by Universal McCann’s loss of the Coca-Cola account earlier this year. Some of OMD’s bigger accounts include Fonterra, Reckitt Benckiser, Wellmade and Visa.