Metta reshuffles senior management team

Creative agency Metta has reshuffled its senior management team amid regional expansion plans. 

Matt Tse, previously group creative director, will become executive creative director. Tinbo Ng, previously group account director, is promoted to executive account director, and Darryl Mak, previously senior business director, is now senior regional business director. Meanwhile, account director Jacky Ho will lead the newly established METTA Lab. They will report to June Li, managing director of Metta Group. Andrew Lee, founder of Metta, will stay on as acting CEO and chief creative officer. 

“With these new appointments, Metta seeks to redefine what it means to be a creative agency. Our goal is to become a brand-driven solution provider,” says Li. The current management team comprise a mix of young blood, including Tse and Ng, and more experienced agency hands including Li and Lee. It’s the ‘ideal combination’ in the age of disruption, according to Li. 

“Appointing young leaders show our ambition in catering to the demands and needs of digital-first consumers. At the same time, stability and continuity will be provided by Andrew and myself.” 

Since its founding in 2008, Metta has gone from strength to strength, having recorded a double year-on-year growth in 2018. While Metta’s initial focus was serving Hong Kong clients in Hong Kong, the agency now serves a variety of clients, both local and international, in APAC. The company has worked on campaigns for Fuji, Dermes, IKEA, Destination Canada and Ocean Park, and have won multiple awards at HKMA/TVB Awards for Marketing Excellence, Oath Big Idea Chair Awards and The MARKies Awards. Aside from its Hong Kong base, the agency boasts offices in Beijing and Guangzhou, and is set to open three more offices in Macau, Shenzhen and Shanghai in the coming year.   

What are the reasons behind Metta’s success? The willingness to go the extra mile to create bespoke solutions for their clients is one.  

“We have continued to diversify our client portfolio while staying true to our innovation DNA to deliver customised, creative and effective solutions for our clients,” says Li.

To achieve that, knowledge of the region you operate in is key. The Metta team, backed by a wealth of experience in the region, is in a position to assist both clients who want to enter China, and Chinese clients who are looking to expand overseas. 

To cater to an evolving world, an agency must also constantly evolve itself—something that Li and her team take to heart. In 2017, Metta created Me Beauty, a unit focusing on online content development. Last year, it set up Metta Lab, which helps clients develop by equipping them with novel technologies. The agency also partners with a multitude of data platforms, including 150 heros apps in Hong Kong, mainland China and beyond, to provide more targeted advertising for clients.