Naga DDB Malaysia refutes Tribal shutdown rumours

In response to an industry rumour that Tribal DDB Malaysia had been shut down and that its staff have been asked to leave, newly appointed CEO of NagaDDB Malaysia, Kristian Lee, issued a statement to Campaign Asia-Pacific clarifying the situation. 

According to Lee, who succeeded David Mitchell as CEO today (September 1), NagaDDB and Tribal Worldwide have been merged and Tribal's staff integrated into the fold. 

The combined entity is in the process of being rebranded Naga DDB Tribal. "So the Tribal brand, still exists," said Lee. 

"As an agency, we are upscaling our digital capabilities and therefore the skill-set of Tribal's staff is of utmost importance in benefiting the campaigns we produce for our current clients," he explained. "It is quite inconceivable that any member of staff should be asked to leave."

The merger, he continued, would likewise benefit Tribal's clients with Naga DDB's capabilities in the area of brand strategy and creative conceptualisation.

"We are in the midst of consolidating our key assets as a group of marketing communications agencies and every individual's contribution is vital to the cause. I would once again like to state that these rumours are false and completely without any basis of truth," concluded Lee.