Debate #3

In-house creative vs external agencies: Do brands sacrifice quality for control

As brands bring creative in-house, agencies argue that originality and bold thinking are being lost to corporate conformity. Meanwhile, brands claim in-house teams offer speed, efficiency, and deeper brand understanding. Are companies gaining control at the expense of groundbreaking creativity, or are agencies just gatekeeping ideas?

debate panellists

Andrew Pinto

Vice President, Brand & Marketing, Unifi, Telekom Malaysia

Andrew Pinto is the Vice President of Brand & Marketing at Unifi, leading the branding, media, digital, and social functions across Unifi, Unifi Mobile, Unifi TV, and Unifi Business. Since joining Telekom Malaysia in 2021, he has been instrumental in shaping Unifi’s brand strategy and market presence.

Previously, Andrew was Head of Marketing at Mudah.my, driving brand growth and industry recognition. He also spent over a decade at McCann Worldgroup as Group Director & Head of Momentum, specializing in brand development, repositioning, and integrated engagement for major clients.

He later served as General Manager at Isobar Malaysia, playing a key role in the agency’s digital transformation and market leadership. With deep expertise in brand strategy, digital innovation, and marketing effectiveness, Andrew continues to drive impactful growth in the telecommunications industry.

Adzam Bahrin

Regional Creative Director, GrowthOps Asia

As the Regional Creative Director at GrowthOps Asia, Adzam leads award-winning campaigns for brands like Shell, TM, and Grab. After more than 14 years as a creative, he’s learned to honed his craft working at various creative shops in Kuala Lumpur and New York. He’s currently a jury member for Malaysia’s Kancils awards and was recognized as one of Campaign Brief Asia’s top Creatives in 2020 and 2021.

Wang Ie Tjer

Executive Creative Director, FCB SHOUT

Tjer began his advertising career in 2005 as a Copywriter who was convinced he wouldn’t last a year. Two decades on, he now spearheads FCB SHOUT’s creative endeavours and he has led the agency to multiple Agency of the Year titles and over 150 awards, including the MARKIES, PMAA Dragons, APPIES, and Malaysia’s first ever Gold at the YouTube Awards Southeast Asia. He has served as jury for Adfest, Dragons of Asia, Creativepool, and Kancils, where he was also part of the Creative Council.

More to be announced

SESSIONS

Keynote #1

Authenticity in a Synthetic World

Panel DISCUSSION #1

AI vs Search: Reinventing discovery or breaking the system?

Panel Discussion #4

Privacy-first media: So, what really happened to the Cookie?

Debate #3

In-house creative vs external agencies

Panel Discussion #3

Synthetic media and the currency of trust

Presenter #3

The AI takeover: Is UX as we know it over

Presenter #2

Micro dramas, micro screens & the future of attention

Debate #1

AI: The death of creativity or its greatest tool?

Panel Discussion #2

New Era of Creativity in ASEAN

Presenter #1

The Future of Advertising in an AI Era

Don't Miss Out on the Digital Conference of the Year!

Join Us for an Exciting and Informative Event That Will Expand Your Knowledge and Connect You with Like-Minded Professionals