Colenso BBDO/Proximity has significantly enhanced its strategic offering with the appointment of Mylene Ong. Lured from the head of strategy role at BBH Shanghai, her appointment completes a revitalisation of the strategic planning offering at College Hill that has seen the team grow to a dozen planners.

Ong has nearly 20 years of experience at some of the world’s top agencies including BBH, JWT New York, M&C Saatchi and TBWA and has directed strategy for major brands including IKEA, Lynx, Smirnoff and Nestle.

Ong said, “People have told me that when choosing jobs, I need to consider my trade-off carefully. So when a rare opportunity came along to work in one of the best agencies in the world and raise my family in a beautiful country like New Zealand, the choice was clear. There was simply no trade-off for me.”

Scott Coldham, managing director at Colenso BBDO, added, “Mylene brings a new world view to our agency with vast experience in multiple, demanding markets. She’s the most culturally inquisitive thinker I’ve come across, with a really strong, broad planning pedigree – and her time with Sir John Hegarty has clearly taken its toll, with her resounding belief in the power of creativity”.

“Planning is a vital part of our business. Our clients are looking to us to provide them with world-class strategic and creative thinking that will give them a competitive advantage. It’s no longer just about communications strategy, rather how brands can build better relationships with their consumers. So to be able to add a strategist of Mylene’s experience and talent to our team is a major coup.”