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Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority hires Maxus boss Lena Goh as first CMO

Lena Goh

Lena Goh

The Singapore office of media agency Maxus has hired a new managing director ahead of the departure of current boss Lena Goh, Mumbrella can reveal.

Goh is bringing to an end just under a year and a half with the GroupM media agency to join the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore as the government body’s first chief marketing and communications officer.

She starts in her new role next month as the IDA looks to build exposure for Singapore as a smart city.  The IDA currently uses the line “an intelligent nation, a global city, powered by infocomm”.

Replacing Goh is Desh Balakrishnan, who joins from rival Havas Media where he was executive director.

Balakrishnan ends almost six years with Havas Media to move back to GroupM, where he last worked as a media manager with Mindshare Singapore in 2006.

Desh Balakrishnan

Desh Balakrishnan

At Havas, Balakrishnan ran the agency’s key accounts such as DBS and NTUC Fairprice and took a lead on new business.

Havas Media confirmed the move, but was unavailable for comment.

Goh’s move to the IDA marks her return to the client side. Before joining Maxus in January 2013, she was senior communications lead, corporate communications, for Microsoft. Before her long stint at Microsoft, she held marketing roles for telcos SingTel and M1.

 

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