Defy has announced the launch of DEFY INT, its new through-the-line (TTL) agency, with Wasaam Ismail appointed as Chief Executive Officer.
DEFY INT is built for brands that need their thinking to work cohesively across every touchpoint. With digital at its core, the agency brings together creative conceptualisation, integrated campaigns, audio-visual and film production, live brand experiences, and data-led execution, sharpened by AI where it adds genuine value.
The agency is defined by five pillars embedded in its very name: Interactive, Intelligent, Integrated, Intentional and Defyint. It is Interactive in the work it creates across creative, digital, AV and live experiences; Intelligent with its use of data, analytics, targeting and AI; Integrated with a creative powerhouse’s thinking and its full range of services brought together under one team and story; Intentional in the clients it chooses to partner with and the commitment it gives each of them; and Defyint (defiant) in its belief that challenging the status quo can create a better way forward.
Ismail brings extensive experience across advertising, marketing and corporate communications to the role. He spent nine years at Loops Integrated, joining as General Manager before transitioning to the role of CEO for more than half of his tenure. During his time there, he played a significant role in mentoring the first, and to date only, Sri Lankan team to win the Young Spikes competition in the Digital category.
Over half of Ismail’s career has been in advertising, with experience at agencies including Phoenix Ogilvy and Z Messenger. He has also worked with Hutchison Telecommunications and served as General Manager – Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing at LAUGFS Holdings. Throughout his career, he has worked across finance, FMCG, retail, telecom, energy, fashion and hospitality. His work has earned recognition at the Effie Awards, SLIM Digis and Dragons of Asia.
He has served on the board of the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association (4A’s) and is currently an Executive Committee Member of the Digital Marketing Association of Sri Lanka (DMASL). He has also been a jury member for the Effie Awards, deputy jury head for SLIM Digis, and a judge for the local Young Spikes Asia competition. Ismail also spent nine years as a lecturer for CIM at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing, contributing to the development of future marketing talent. He holds an MBA (Aus), a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (CIM UK), and is a recipient of the Sri Lanka Prize for Marketing Planning from CIM (UK).
“DEFY INT is about bringing disciplines together without allowing the thinking to fragment along the way. We want to create work that is strategically sound, creatively strong, measurable and genuinely connected across every touchpoint. Just as importantly, we want to be intentional about the brands we partner with and the promises we make to them,” said Ismail.
“Wasaam brings a level of experience and leadership that is incredibly valuable to DEFY at this stage of our journey. I have tremendous faith in his ability to lead DEFY INT and, more importantly, to bring the kind of senior thinking, perspective and accountability that clients increasingly need from their agency partners. Having someone of his calibre personally involved in the business means our clients benefit from that experience both at a strategic level and in the decisions and work we make for them every day,” said Dilshara Jayamanna, CEO of the DEFY Group and Chief Creative Officer of DEFY.
With DEFY INT, the group is positioning itself as an integrated partner for brands seeking craft, intelligence, honesty and attention in the same agency relationship.
