Rika Sharma is new Head of Social@Ogilvy, Singapore

Ogilvy, Singapore, announced that Rika Sharma will take charge of Social@Ogilvy and spearhead its next phase of growth.

Rika has served as Director of Social@Ogilvy and Regional Director for Unilever’s Digital business for the past 12 months.

She succeeds Jenna Boller, who is returning to her native North America to drive the Social offering for Ogilvy PR’s West Coast offices, with immediate effect.

Rika, still just 31, has more than a decade of digital and integrated marketing experience, working on both the client and agency side across Asia-Pacific markets, including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Commenting on the move, Ogilvy PR Southeast Asia President, Andrew Thomas, said: “The challenge for the industry is to offer social engagement which ticks all the boxes for business strategy, creativity, speed and price.

“All too often agencies only offer bit-part solutions to social marketing needs because they are hampered by the cost of building out the necessary expertise.

“At Ogilvy, we already have the capacity to listen, analyse, counsel, as well as create searchoptimised content, video, infographics and conversation maps which all link through to CRM and promotions which drive business results.

“When clients want the full suite, they can have it. And when they don’t, they don’t have to pay for it. We are extremely fortunate to have someone as determined, smart and capable as Rika to help bring all these elements together.”

And Rika said of her promotion: “Clients are at the heart of everything Social@Ogilvy does and, these days, social is at the heart of everything the client wants to do.

“Ogilvy’s size is an enormous advantage and the fact that we think brand and business results rather than simply creating awareness, makes our approach unique and valued.

“Social@Ogilvy is recognised as the leading social agency in Southeast Asia. Our continued success will come from our ability to empower everyone in Ogilvy & Mather with the skills to provide social and digital counsel to clients.

“Social is no longer a vertical capability. It is an attitude to communication.”

Ogilvy & Mather, Singapore, Group Chairman Fiona Gordon added: “Rika has a proven track record with many of our clients across the Group and is tirelessly committed to helping those brands and businesses we work with meet their objectives.

“It's always great to promote from within and to recognise the next era of Ogilvy 'giants'.”

Director of Social@Ogilvy for Asia-Pacific, Thomas Crampton, went on: “In recent years Social has moved to the heart of marketing operations and whether public relations, advertising or consumer engagement, the public’s obsession with social and digital media means we play a central role in virtually every new campaign.

“This sea-change makes it even more vital that people like Rika are emerging as the new breed of industry leaders, someone who not only understands and can navigate the complex social media landscape, but is also acutely aware that everything we do ties back to the brand ambitions of the client.”