Jeff Ma leaves TBWA for Tsingtao beer

TBWA won the Tsingtao Beer account in April 2012 after a five-way pitch with incumbent Ogilvy.

The core Tsingtao brand as well as regional beer brands Chun Sheng, Hei Pi, Ao Gu Te, Huan Dong, Bing Chun, Wu Chun, Hans and Lao Shan is managed by TBWA, but the Shan Shui business has recently gone to DDB in May.

Ma is in charge of brand strategy, new product development and trade marketing for the Chinese beer brand.

Ma had been at TBWA Greater China since July 2010 and was CMO since September 2011. TBWA has not named a replacement for his CMO role, which is a rare one in the agency world.

As managing director of TBWA's Shanghai office then, he served the Tsingtao client, along with McDonald's, Pernod Ricard, Pfizer, Adidas, Wrigley, Visa, Standard Chartered Bank and Hisense.