Clement Yip leaves Wunderman to join Proximity in newly created CEO post

Yip said he looks forward to getting into the boardroom with clients to work on the concepts behind integrated campaigns a lot earlier than was possible when he was at Wunderman and Agenda working on purely digital executions. 

The newly created role signals Proximity's desire to play up its digital chops as much as a move to keep up with other competitors' local digital talent, who can speak fluent Mandarin.

Yip will report to Carol Potter, president and chief executive officer of BBDO/Proximity Greater China based in Beijing, helping her oversee Proximity, which was fully under Potter's remit in the past.

"Carol and I have known each other for six years when we were running campaigns collaboratively for some common clients," Yip said. "One of the things I enjoyed was having the ability to work with a powerful creative agency."

Proximity's client portfolio in mainland China and Hong Kong includes accounts such as Volkswagen, P&G, Starbucks, Puma, Porsche and HP.

Yip cited the VW People's Car project as the type of creativity that he would like to put his name to, since that campaign "was recognised around the world" for its creativity.

Yip has been in the CEO seat since Monday, and will expand expertise into digital channels including CRM, social media and mobile for these brands. He left Wunderman in October last year with his previous role transitioned to Steve Hsia.

"Clement's vision and BBDO's vision are well-matched—which is all about integrated communications with digital at the forefront and not siloed," Potter added.