McCann Singapore Appoints Rajiv Jayaraj as GM, Elevates Content Studios
McCann Singapore elevates content studios by appointing Rajiv Jayaraj as GM, signaling a strategic shift toward integrated content systems driving brand growth across Asia.
McCann Singapore has appointed Rajiv Jayaraj as General Manager and Lead of McCann Content Studios, the agency announced on March 11, 2026. The dual role places content production and social strategy at the center of the agency's leadership structure.
A Dual Role With a Clear Signal
Jayaraj brings 18 years of experience across creative, media, and production sectors. His background includes regional social and content programs for brands including Lego, Spotify, and MSD, as well as entertainment partnerships spanning Asia's Got Talent, ONE Championship, and The Indonesian Next Big Star.
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Before joining McCann, Jayaraj served as APAC Head of Mediabrands Content Studio at IPG Mediabrands, where he established the Singapore studio in 2022. His career also includes tenures at UM Worldwide, BBDO Singapore, Prodigious Worldwide, and Ogilvy's ReedWorks.
At McCann Singapore, Jayaraj will oversee four service areas within McCann Content Studios: social, content, production, and influencer services. He will also focus on building teams and systems to support multi-market brand activity as growth opportunities shift toward Asia.
Gonzalo Olivera, President of McCann Singapore, framed the appointment as a structural shift. "We move from a model of responding to briefs to designing and operating integrated systems that continuously drive brand growth," Olivera said.
Sean Donovan, President of Asia for Omnicom Advertising, welcomed the hire, stating: "Bringing the very best people together is the surest way of producing the best work."
Jayaraj described his priorities in direct terms. "The challenge is helping brands break into culture by creating content that people genuinely want to engage with, not just scroll past," he said.
Appointment Follows McCann-MullenLowe Integration
Jayaraj's appointment follows McCann Singapore's recent merger of its McCann and MullenLowe operations under a unified leadership structure, with Olivera as President and Paul Soon as CEO.
The merged agency now operates with nine department heads covering creative, strategy, production, digital, CRM, operations, finance, and HR. Jayaraj joins as the first major leadership hire under the consolidated entity.
His mandate includes supporting Singapore's role as a hub for global brands and scaling content studio capabilities across multiple markets. The studio's integrated model positions McCann Content Studios to compete directly with standalone content agencies and in-house brand studios growing across Southeast Asia.
Content Leadership Moves Across Singapore's Agency Market
McCann's move reflects a broader pattern across Singapore's agency sector. Havas Media Network Singapore made two senior appointments in 2025, naming Jean Lee as Managing Director and Zoheb Gafoor as General Manager for Digital, Southeast Asia. FleishmanHillard Singapore similarly appointed a senior managing director during the same period.
Across these moves, a consistent pattern has emerged: holding-group agencies in Singapore are placing digital and content leadership at the most senior operational levels, rather than treating these as specialist functions below the GM tier.
McCann Singapore's decision to combine the GM role with direct oversight of its content studio takes this approach a step further, embedding content production responsibility within the agency's top operational position.
Jayaraj's next steps include expanding the McCann Content Studios team and developing systems to deliver content programs across multiple Asian markets.
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