DBS Launches Regional Creative Agency Search Under New Marketing Chief
DBS Bank is consolidating its creative work across six Asia-Pacific markets under a single agency partner, with AI expertise now a core requirement. The shift signals how banking leaders are embedding AI capabilities into agency briefs.
DBS Bank has launched a formal search for a single regional creative agency to manage its brand across six Asia-Pacific markets, following a leadership change in its marketing division in early 2026.
New Marketing Chief Drives Consolidation Push
Audrey Kuah, appointed Head of Group Marketing and Communications at DBS on January 2, 2026, is leading the review. Kuah joined from VML, a global creative and technology agency.
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The bank issued a Request for Information (RFI), an early-stage document asking agencies to describe their capabilities before a formal pitch begins. The selected agency will cover Singapore, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan under a single "One bank, one brand" framework.
"As we strive to create genuine and forward-thinking brand experiences that underscore our identity as a dependable, diversifier, digital, and disruptor bank, we are actively searching for an agency partner," Kuah said. "Our goal is to ensure our brand continues to resonate and inspire confidence at every touchpoint."
The review follows the departure of Karen Ngui, DBS's previous marketing chief, who left in January 2026 to pursue social impact roles.
AI Capability Is a Core Requirement
The agency brief goes beyond standard creative work. DBS is explicitly requiring expertise in Generative AI and Agentic AI (software that can independently perform marketing tasks without human instruction for each step) as part of the selection criteria.
This requirement reflects CEO Tan Su Shan's stated vision for the bank. "AI will take away a lot of the mundane work that we don't want to do, to release time and capacity for our employees to better understand clients, to display empathy, build relationships and trust," Tan said.
That vision has been directly written into the agency brief, making this one of the most technically specific creative agency searches in Asian banking to date.
Fragmented Agency Model Being Replaced
Prior to the review, DBS used different agencies in different markets. These included The Secret Little Agency in Singapore and Digital SEA, a Jakarta-based agency, which handled DBS Indonesia's credit card campaign work in 2025.
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The move to a single regional partner replaces that market-by-market approach. The selected agency will be responsible for brand expression, major campaigns, and creative consistency across all six markets simultaneously.
As of early 2026, the process had not yet advanced to a formal pitch, with the RFI stage still in progress.
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Bank Reviews Creative Standards From a Position of Strength
The timing is notable. DBS was named Global Bank of the Year 2025 by The Banker, meaning the agency review is not a response to poor performance. It is a proactive move to raise creative standards.
The bank's brief covers retail customers, wealth clients, small businesses, corporations, communities, and employees. It requires an agency capable of speaking to very different audiences within one consistent brand voice across six culturally distinct markets.
The RFI process is expected to lead to a formal creative pitch in the coming months.
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