Richard Fraser moves from BBDO Singapore to CEO role at Proximity North America
Richard Fraser has been appointed as chief executive officer of Proximity North America, a newly created role. He is set to take charge on April 1. Fraser was most recently CEO of BBDO Singapore and president of BBDO South East Asia.
Fraser is a veteran with Proximity, the digital and direct agency of the BBDO network. He was previously the agency’s regional managing director for Asia, Middle East and Africa before shifting to BBDO Singapore in 2016.
The promotion will see Fraser move from Singapore, where he is currently based, to New York. He will report to global CEO Doug Worple. He will also be part of the global leadership team.
BBDO described Fraser as: “A major contributor to the network’s growth, capability, talent and reputation within the APAC region”.
In his new role, Fraser will be responsible for accelerating growth and the agency’s North America footprint, apart from its capabilities and expertise in performance marketing, e-commerce, technology and innovation.
Chris Evans, the CEO of the Cincinnati-based Barefoot Proximity, and Garrett Franklin – MD of Atmosphere Proximity in New York – will report to Fraser in his new role.
Speaking about the move, Fraser said: “I‘m thrilled to be re-joining the network, at a time when performance marketing, personalised brand experience and direct-to-consumer commerce are now primary strategic priorities for virtually every brand.
“Proximity has an extraordinary depth of talent and expertise in these areas and that, coupled with their strong culture, positions us perfectly to drive demonstrable growth for clients, current and future.
“My immediate ambition is to harness and amplify our strong offices in Cincinnati and New York to form a more united and cohesive North American Proximity offering, which I strongly believe will make us one of the most compelling business partners to brands in the market. I can’t wait to join the team.”
Proximity’s global CEO Doug Worple added: “Richard has played an influential role in Proximity’s development, last serving as our Asia-Pacific leader.
“I’ve been keen to bring Richard to Proximity North America and leverage his talents in a bigger role, so when the opportunity presented itself, we were quick to figure out a way to make it work.”
Fraser is the latest addition to the growing Proximity global leadership team, with Troy Hitch being promoted to global chief innovation officer in October late last year.
Ravi is the editor at Mumbrella Asia. He has covered the marketing, advertising and media business for over two decades.
You did some great work in Singapore. I loved that Guiness beer work the most. Hope to see more work like that under your management. Good luck in the new role!
ReplyCongrats Rich. Well deserved promotion for Proximity Worldwide and BBDO. Richard is everything about omnichannel creative communication leadership. He builds cohesive teams and always knows how to produce great work in any position he plays. What a wonderful backline in the USA for Proximity they now have with Fraser joining the likes of Worple, Hitch, Evans, and Franklin. A very talented team.
ReplyThis is such a good sign. You can go to the US market and become a start like Ronald. He was the man behind the Guiness work here in Singapore that was Ranked #1 in the Gunn report. Fantastic work you all did at BBDO, SG. Good luck!
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