BBDO names Kevin Lynch ECD for South China offices

Lynch (pictured)  fills the vacancy left by Vincent Pang, who resigned in August and went back home to Malaysia to take up a family business.

Lynch came on board earlier this month, bringing with him more than two decades of experience working with global and domestic brands. Lynch will oversee the creative efforts of the network's Hong Kong and Guangzhou offices, with key clients including Wrigley’s, Visa and Starbucks. He will work alongside JC Catibog, managing director, BBDO South China.

During his year with Energy BBDO Shanghai and Proximity China, he worked for major clients like SC Johnson, Starbucks, Fonterra (launching Anchor Milk in China) and Inter IKEA Centre Group for its first shopping mall property in Wuxi, which will be opening in early 2014.

As an American, prior to joining BBDO China, Lynch worked with the BBDO in Chicago where he co-led the office’s biggest new business win ever. Lynch first joined the network through Proximity Worldwide, where he helped grow the Chicago office from half a dozen people to more than 80 in three years.

Before that, he ran his own independent agency with his partner called Hadrian’s Wall (the name of the Roman emperor who built the wall separating Scotland and England in the U.K.) in Chicago for six years which was later sold to Toronto based holding company MDC, which owns highly awarded creative shops like Crispin Porter + Bogusky in the US.

Lynch said the new move is a terrific opportunity to work with clients in South China, as clients like Wrigley’s and Starbucks were his previous clients back in Chicago. "The budget is smaller in Hong Kong, so we have to make sure our ideas are earning more attention that clients are paying for,” he said.

“I am also looking forward to working in Hong Kong so I can work on my English, as I don’t speak Mandarin, “ he chuckled.