Gordan Domlija
Co-Founder & CEO China
Last reviewed
Former APAC CEO of Wavemaker, the WPP media network, where he built and ran the regional agency business across more than a dozen markets.
Gordan Domlija is Co-Founder and CEO China of Mammoth China Outbound. He was previously APAC CEO of Wavemaker, the media agency network owned by WPP, where he built and ran the regional agency business across more than a dozen markets.
He was CEO of Wavemaker Asia-Pacific from 2018 until February 2023, five years in the role, and added the chairmanship of Wavemaker China to his remit in 2019. He had launched the agency in China and North Asia in 2017, merging MEC and Maxus into a single company. Under his leadership the Asia-Pacific business grew 21% in 2021, with China up 19%; the region won JD.com, Shunfeng, IM Motors, Under Armour, L'Oréal in India and Australia, and DoorDash, and recruited more than a thousand employees in a single year.
He moved to China in 2008 as managing director at Mindshare, responsible for Unilever, Nike, Land Rover and L'Oréal. He was then chief strategy officer at MediaCom China for two years, and CEO of MEC China, where he doubled revenue within two years by building digital capability and winning new business. Campaign Asia-Pacific named him Asia-Pacific Agency Head of the Year in 2021. He founded Re:Motive Media in Singapore in 2024.
That arc covers China's transition from a market that imported global advertising practice to one that exports it.
At Mammoth he is responsible for the demand side of the business: the relationships with Chinese advertisers, agency holding groups and independent trading desks that determine whether outbound budget can actually be routed to global supply.
Track record
What he has done
- CEO, Wavemaker Asia-Pacific, 2018 to February 2023
- Launched Wavemaker in China and North Asia in 2017, merging MEC and Maxus
- Chairman, Wavemaker China, from 2019
- CEO, MEC China — doubled revenue within two years
- Chief strategy officer, MediaCom China
- Managing director, Mindshare China, from 2008
- Asia-Pacific Agency Head of the Year 2021, Campaign Asia-Pacific
- Deep network across brands, agency holding groups and media platforms
Roles and figures are as reported by the individual and reflect positions held prior to founding Mammoth China Outbound.
Areas of expertise
- Media agency leadership
- China advertising market
- Asia-Pacific media investment
- Cross-border marketing
The record, as written elsewhere
- Campaign Asia-PacificDecember 2021Subscription
AOY Insights: Wavemaker APAC's Gordon Domlija named Asia-Pacific Agency Head of the Year
- LBB Online16 February 2022
Gordon Domlija on Leveraging China Experience to Unlock the Asia Market
- Marketing-Interactive3 February 2023
Wavemaker APAC CEO Gordon Domlija leaves firm
- B&T9 January 2019
Wavemaker Bolsters APAC Leadership Team With Three New Hires
Headlines are quoted as published. The trade press generally spells the name “Gordon”; he spells it “Gordan”, which is the spelling used throughout this site.
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