Alyna Haji Omar has been appointed CEO, J. Walter Thompson group, Sri Lanka. She will head J. Walter Thompson and Contract Advertising in the country and will take up her new role in early June.
Omar joins from Response Marketing, part of the Grant McCann group of companies in Sri Lanka, and will replace Joy Chauhan, who has moved back to India to head J. Walter Thompson's Bengaluru office.
Tarun Rai, CEO, J. Walter Thompson, South Asia, said, “With Alyna’s deep insight and understanding of the local market, she is well poised to lead the J. Walter Thompson group in Sri Lanka. Alyna is young and ambitious and with her diverse experience, she will be able to aggressively drive the new growth strategy for the group. J. Walter Thompson Colombo is one of the oldest and most admired agencies in Sri Lanka and now, with the changed economic landscape, we are more buoyant than ever before to bring the best expertise and skills across disciplines."
Omar said, "J. Walter Thompson stewards some of the most significant global brands in Sri Lanka and a wonderful dynamic is at play right now in that most of these brands are looking for deeper local context. This transition brings new learnings and with it a new opportunity... I believe that J. Walter Thompson Colombo has a unique advantage in its people. There is enviable talent, knowledge and passion at every level. So the chance to collaborate with clients and talent of this calibre was irresistible. I am very excited to work with Tarun, he brings a fresh, honest outside-in international perspective and that is priceless currency in today’s market. There is an energy to him that is very infectious."
Omar was recently appointed as the president of the IAA Sri Lanka Chapter.
