PHD appoints Howard Smith as managing director of Singapore

Smith joins from 1 February and will report to Torie Henderson, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Singapore. He replaces Pat Lim, who left the Omnicom firm at the end of last year.

Smith was previously development partner at Swedish media technology developers, Elfving IMC. Prior to that, he was with Sydney-based consultancy Bellamyhayden and also strategy officer at Initiative in London where he worked as head of digital, product development and communication planning.

With over 14 years' experience, Smith has worked across brands including Adidas, Philips and others under the Unilever umbrella.

“We are delighted to have Howard on board. He is an outstanding talent in strategy and digital, and coupled with his proven leadership skills, his talent will enable us to take the PHD brand to even greater heights in Singapore. Howard is a natural fit for PHD’s personality of being a challenger brand,” said Henderson.

"I’m excited to be joining the PHD media network and working in such a fast paced and dynamic market. I’ve long heard of PHD’s reputation as a challenger brand and have utmost respect for the agency’s philosophy of being a pioneering brand. I look forward to continuing to break new ground and drive the success of the business,” added Smith.

Last week, PHD launched a new office in Japan through a partnership with I&S BBDO Japan, part of BBDO Worldwide, and Omnicom Media Group (OMG).