Lesmono will continue to head up the creative department at Bates Indonesia. In his new role, he will report to Shubho Sarkar, CEO of Bates Southeast Asia, and work closely with Pradipta Roy, planning director for Southeast Asia, and creative heads in Bates' ASEAN cluster.
Sarkar said, “With changengage at the forefront of what we do, Hendra’s strategic inclination and passion for advertising transcends the ‘art’ dimension of it and rests heavily on the ‘sales generator’ aspect. We must always try and engage people with the brand, which makes it more famous and generates better returns on the bottom line.”
Lesmono, who has worked at Bates Indonesia since 2007, noted that the countries of Southeast Asia make up a significant portion of Asia's population. “We need to recognise the best approach for each individual brand and help them to engage with people in the most relevant and refreshing ways. It is not that complicated. After all we're all consumers,” he added.
He was previously with Leo Burnett and Ogilvy & Mather for clients such as Honda, Marlboro, Nestle, Metro Departmental Store and Unilever (Buavita).