ASIA-PACIFIC – AUGUST 15, 2012: Dick van Motman, president and CEO of DDB Greater China Group, has stepped down, DDB Group Asia announced.
According to DDB Group Asia Pacific, India, and Japan chairman and CEO John Zeigler, van Motman has outlined his intention to leave some time ago. “With 20 years under his belt, nine of these at DDB, he wanted to find new challenges,” he said.
During the past seven years, DDB’s successes in Greater China have been numerous. DDB Shanghai has evolved into one of the leading agencies in China winning Campaign Asia Pacific’s Greater China Creative Agency of the Year in 2010. Tribal DDB Shanghai was also named Greater China Digital Agency of the Year. Additionally, the agency was named Agency of the Year by AdAge China in the same year.
Van Motman was a key driver in completing DDB’s joint venture in Beijing, establishing DDB Guoan as a reputable global/local agency in China’s capital. While heading up Greater China, he also pushed DDB Group Hong Kong and DDB Group Taiwan to raise their creative and effective product, making the agencies leaders in their respective markets.
In 2009, van Motman was named Internationalist Agency Innovator and was recognized as the “Most outstanding advertising person” by China Central Television, the first time a Westerner has been given this award.
“In a recent interview for a Dutch publication I was described as the wandering Jew and, upon reflection, that’s not a bad description of my last 20 years going from challenge to challenge. Building DDB Greater China Group has most definitely been one of my most challenging, but also most fulfillinf assignments. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to build a world-class brand like DDB in a constantly evolving market like China,” van Motman said.
DDB Shanghai Group is now also ranked #1 Agency office and Tribal DDB Shanghai is ranked #1 Digital Agency in China, based on the 2011 China Effie Results.
