The DEFY Group has established DEFY INT, a new through-the-line agency combining creative, digital, and data-driven services, appointing veteran advertising executive Wasaam Ismail to lead the venture.
DEFY has unveiled DEFY INT, a newly formed integrated marketing agency designed to serve brands requiring cohesive strategy across multiple channels. The agency positions digital capabilities at its centre, combining creative development, integrated campaigns, audiovisual and film production, live experiences, and data-driven execution enhanced by artificial intelligence.
Wasaam Ismail has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of DEFY INT. Ismail brings over nine years of leadership experience from Loops Integrated, where he progressed from General Manager to CEO and mentored the first Sri Lankan team to win the Young Spikes Digital competition. His career spans advertising agencies including Phoenix Ogilvy and Z Messenger, as well as corporate roles at Hutchison Telecommunications and LAUGFS Holdings, covering sectors including finance, FMCG, retail, telecommunications, energy, fashion and hospitality. His professional recognition includes awards from the Effie Awards, SLIM Digis and Dragons of Asia.
Ismail holds qualifications including an MBA from Australia, a postgraduate diploma in marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK, and has been awarded the Sri Lanka Prize for Marketing Planning by CIM UK. He has served on the board of the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association and currently holds a position on the Executive Committee of the Digital Marketing Association of Sri Lanka. He previously lectured in marketing at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing for nine years.
Dilshara Jayamanna, CEO of DEFY Group and Chief Creative Officer of DEFY, stated that Ismail's experience and leadership credentials position him to deliver the strategic oversight and accountability clients require from agency partners. The five operational pillars of DEFY INT—Interactive, Intelligent, Integrated, Intentional and Defyint (defiant)—reflect the agency's commitment to unified thinking across disciplines while challenging conventional approaches to brand strategy.