Tham Khai Meng is Worldwide Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather and Chairman of its Worldwide Creative Council. He is also a member of the Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Board and Executive Committee.
Described by Advertising Age as “One of the world’s most influential people in the communications business,” Khai has worked in every aspect of the business in his 26-year career.
The journey began in London where he studied at Central Saint Martins and subsequently at the Royal College of Art where he took an MA in film. This led to his first job in advertising at Leo Burnett, initially in their London office and later in Chicago.
Khai’s aptitude for big brands early in his career led to his first creative directorship at Batey Ads in Singapore where he worked on the agency’s signature account, Singapore Airlines. Under Khai’s watch the airline grew from a fledging brand into one of the world’s great brands, and to this day is studied as a textbook case on brand building.
In 2000, Khai went to Ogilvy & Mather to become Regional Creative Director and Co-Chairman of its Asia Pacific network. His success in this role led to his being named Campaign Brief Asia’s “Creative Director of the Year” for seven straight years, an unprecedented honor. In 2008 he was inducted into the Campaign Brief Hall of Fame.
Khai has won countless awards and grand prix over the years from every major show including Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, London International Awards and Clios, and has chaired the jury panels for these shows. Khai’s work is similarly lauded by clients. He has had the fortune of working with some of the world’s greatest brands including American Express, Cadbury’s, China Mobile, Coca-Cola, H. J. Heinz, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald’s, The Economist, Toyota, Unilever Dove, United Nations, among others.
More recently, Khai’s counsel has been sought outside the industry. He has addressed the World Economic Forum (WEF), worked with the UN Secretary-General, and served on the Singapore Prime Minister’s Economic Review Committee. He is a faculty member at Steinbeis University, Berlin, and a board member of Agencies in Action, a non-profit organization that helps feed the hungry in New York City.
In a wink at kismet, after a lifetime fighting fires in the creative department, Khai – who is famous for taking his work home with him – now resides in a former 19th century firehouse in New York City.