Former national swimmer Ong joins Dentsu Sports Asia as vice-president
KUALA LUMPUR: Dentsu Aegis Network Malaysia has appointed Jeffrey Ong as vice-president of Dentsu Sports Asia (DSA) to head the agency’s sports marketing business in the country.
Ong succeeds Stuart Ramalingam, who was recently named secretary-general of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to be able to join one of the global leaders in sports marketing and head up their Malaysian business,” said Ong in a statement recently.
“The sports industry in Malaysia is going through an exciting time, and I see plenty of opportunities for DSA to help develop the industry, especially in assisting with the commercialisation and monetisation of sports in the country.
“This can be achieved by leveraging DSA’s expertise and experience in the marketing and sponsorship of various sports assets around the world,” he added.
Ong was most recently working with the PGA Tour as regional commercial director, managing sponsorship and hospitality sales for the CIMB Classic, the PGA Tour’s only FedExCup event in Southeast Asia, as well as exploring business and revenue opportunities for the PGA Tour in Asia.
Prior to that, he was with Total Sports Asia overseeing commercial partnerships for various sports projects, including the KL Sports City and 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
Beyond business development roles, Ong’s diverse experience included seven years of hosting, producing and directing TV programmes, in addition to being a broadcast journalist and news anchor for Media Prima Bhd’s TV3.
More notably, Ong is a celebrated sportsman and multiple gold medallist, who has represented Malaysia in swimming at all levels, including the Olympics (twice), World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, SEA Games, and World University Games.
His sporting achievements earned him the esteemed “National Sportsman of the Year” title in 1988, awarded by the National Sports Council of Malaysia.
Kunihito Morimura, DSA president and chief executive officer, said: “DSA in Malaysia has demonstrated its prowess in sports marketing and has achieved remarkable successes, including, among others, having exceeded expectations in carrying out the agency’s mandate as the sponsorship agency for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games last year.”