McCann Singapore Appoints Gonzalo Olivera as CEO After 25-Year Leadership Tenure Ends

McCann Singapore has a new boss. Gonzalo Olivera has been named CEO, stepping up from his role as President of the agency. He takes over from Paul Soon, who is leaving Singapore after more than 25 years in the local advertising industry.

Soon is relocating to the US for personal reasons. His exit ends a long run that included leading McCann Singapore to become the first Singapore-based agency to win ADFEST's Digital Agency of the Year, and keeping it consistently in the top three of Singapore's most respected creative rankings.

The handover did not happen overnight. It was the product of a deliberate six-month succession plan, a detail that stands out in an industry not exactly known for orderly transitions.

A Merger First, Then a Leadership Change

The CEO change is the latest chapter in a bigger story that started with a blockbuster deal. In November 2025, Omnicom completed its acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG), one of the largest transactions in advertising history. With two major agency networks now under one roof, consolidation was inevitable.

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In Singapore, that meant McCann and MullenLowe, both former IPG agencies, were merged under the McCann banner, effective January 1, 2026. Paul Soon was brought in to lead the combined entity from the start. Olivera was named President, responsible for international clients and building the foundation for what comes next.

What comes next, it turns out, is Olivera in the top seat.

Why Olivera

Olivera's background is almost custom-built for this moment. He joined MullenLowe in 2008, helped relaunch the Magnum ice cream brand globally, and moved to Singapore in 2013 to manage global Unilever accounts. As Growth Director, he grew new client revenue four-fold, bringing in brands like Bumble, Maserati, and Citibank.

His priorities as CEO are straightforward on paper: grow the agency's existing client business, build creative credibility, and prove that an integrated agency (one that connects creative work, media, data, and content under one roof) can deliver better results than a collection of separate specialists.

"Now we are focused on the next chapter," Olivera said. "Building an agency where creativity proves growth, integrated systems drive brand performance, and deep partnerships with clients enable us to do meaningful work."

What the Holding Company Wants

McCann Worldgroup has also appointed Brandon Cheung as CEO for Southeast Asia, adding a regional layer above market-level CEOs like Olivera. The structure signals that McCann's parent wants tighter regional coordination, not just individual agency performance.

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Sean Donovan, President of Asia at Omnicom Advertising, framed Soon's exit diplomatically: "Under his leadership, McCann Singapore has sharpened its point of view, deepened client relationships, and demonstrated that creativity with commercial rigor is one of the most powerful things an agency can offer."

That's the bar Olivera now has to meet, or clear.

The Bigger Picture

McCann Singapore's transition reflects a pattern playing out across the region. 94% of newly appointed CEOs in Asia Pacific in 2025 were first-time leaders, according to data from Russell Reynolds Associates. Boards are betting on internal candidates who know the business, rather than bringing in external hires who need time to learn it.

Olivera fits that profile. He's spent 13 years at the predecessor agency. He knows the clients, the team, and the market. Whether that familiarity is an asset or a constraint, in an environment that needs genuine transformation, is the real question hanging over his tenure.