In addition to incumbent OMD, Maxus and Carat are believed to have taken part in the review.
The move is a big departure for the banking giant, which was previously thought to have a strong relationship with OMD. In 2009, it even appointed OMD to oversee its media business in Vietnam. OMD did not immediately respond to queries from Campaign Asia-Pacific.
Hong Leong recently announced that it has appointed Tan Kong Khoon as group managing director and CEO effective 1 July.