The Brand Union names Juan Tan Creative Director, China

SHANGHAI — The Brand Union has appointed Mr. Juan Tan as Creative Director, China, a newly created position divided between Beijing and Shanghai. As the creative lead in China for The Brand Union, Tan will help set a new standard for creative work from the China network. In addition to leading the Unilever Food Solutions account, Tan will also focus on Chinese brands such as Gemdale Property, TIENS, CEIBS and SPD Bank.

A native of Malaysia who grew up speaking Mandarin, Tan has more than 16 years in the communications and design industry in SE Asia and China. He brings with him a strong visual design background, is a proven artist and designer in his own right, and has worked both above and below the line with a broad range of local and international clients in China.

Monica Lee, Managing Director of The Brand Union, China, said, “Juan has worked throughout the region and understands how Asian and Chinese brands work. He is a natural nurturer of creative talent, and is a fun and inspiring creative leader. We are delighted that he is joining us to support our exciting business growth in China.”

“I’m thrilled to be working here with a strong group of creatives on a number of very interesting accounts. I was also very attracted to this position because of the focus it allows me to have on recruitment and developing talent. It’s not every day that an agency makes this an important component of a Creative Director’s role and that tells me the focus on people is real. We’re constantly on the lookout for the best in Asia for our team,” said Juan Tan, Creative Director, China, The Brand Union.

An immediate first task for Tan, together with The Brand Union Shanghai, will be to host the first Creative Council Asia meeting in China from 29 June to 1 July. More than 15 design and creative leads from across Asia Pacific will attend. And this forum is expected to help set a rallying cry for ever better creative output for the network.

Prior to joining The Brand Union, Tan was based in Shanghai as Executive Creative Director at TBWA\TEQUILA\China for six years where he led advertising, brand identity, and product design projects for clients such as Chivas, Absolut, adidas, Häagen-Dazs, Pernod Ricard, Siemens and Virgin Mobile. During this time he also served as Executive Creative Director for TBWA’s shopper marketing agency, INTEGER\, as well as at TBWA\Creativejuice, where Juan created retail and shopper marketing experiences.

Earlier Tan was Creative Director at TBWA\Jakarta from 1997–2004 and also worked as Creative Group Head at Bates Advertising, Indonesia from 1995–1997.

Tan is a frequent contributor to numerous Chinese design and branding publications, and loves to design furniture in his spare time.

His appointment is with immediate effect.


About The Brand Union
Established in 1972, The Brand Union, a WPP agency and affiliate of the Ogilvy Group in China, is a world-class global branding agency comprising over 500 + strategists, designers and researchers across 20 offices worldwide.

The Brand Union entered China in 1999 as the first global branding agency in the mainland market. The agency’s Shanghai office opened in late 2001 and the Beijing office opened in 2006.

The Brand Union combines the world’s leading branding methodologies with local knowledge to help Chinese and international companies to develop powerful brands in China and overseas.

The Brand Union’s clients include many leading Chinese companies as well as international brands such as COFCO Group, Huarum, SPD Bank, China Everbright Bank, SIG, Infinitus, Suntech, OCT, China Mobile, Guangzhou Automotive Company, Pernod Ricard, Henkel, Credit Suisse and the Mars Group.