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Malaysia’s media industry must unite for ‘unprecedented year of change’ says new MSA president

Vogiatzakis:

Vogiatzakis: This year we stand at a crossroads

Malaysian media agency industry body Media Specialists Association has elected the country CEO of Omnicom Media Group, Andreas Vogiatzakis, as president.

Vogiatzakis, who succeeds newly appointed IPG Mediabrands Malaysia boss Bala Pomaleh to lead the industry body, said in a statement that he takes on the role in an “unprecedented and monumental year of change” as Malaysian media agencies grapple with a sluggish economy, low consumer confidence and intense competition over pricing.

Vogiatzakis, who moved to Malaysia a decade ago, said that the fortunes of the media business were a “collective responsibility” for the industry.

“This year we stand at the crossroads, with several challenges facing our industry, more than ever before: audience fragmentation, talent shortage, intense price squeezes and demands, a slowly recovering economy, a low consumer sentiment, a new currency in the market, just to name a few,” he said.

“And for these reasons, this is precisely the time when MSA has a critical role to play in order to formulate a future forward vision and adopt values and actions that will move the Malaysian media industry forward and elevate it to an ever greater ground.”

The MSA has also appointed Vivaki Malaysia boss Wong Pi Yee as vice President, UM’s Kagee Chew as treasurer and Sherene Mak of Sen Media as secretary.

Vogiatzakis said that he was pleased to see the support of MSA members “who despite their differences and competitive challenges, are coming together united to create a better future.”

“MSA’s success in years to come will be the outcome of this collective effort, adding even more value to our local advertising and marketing scene.”

Vogiatzakis has been working in Asia since 1997, and has served as CEO of Omnicom Media Group Malaysia since 2006 and as a council member of MSA since that time. He was previously vice president of the MSA during Pomaleh’s stint as president. Before Pomaleh, GroupM Malaysia CEO Girish Menon was MSA president.

 

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