Singapore – Dept, a Netherlands-based digital agency has announced that it will be expanding to the Asia-Pacific region, marking it with the appointment of former Havas Group CEO Vishnu Mohan to assume the agency’s partner and chief growth officer role.
Dept, founded in 2015, is majority owned by Carlyle, a global private equity firm. Dept has recently acquired design and experience agency BASIC®️, as well as creative marketing technology agency Byte.
Through the market expansion, Dept said it will follow an acquisition-led growth approach to grow to 1,000 people and contribute 10% to global revenues by 2024. This will be complemented with a Singapore hub and a satellite team in Manila.
Meanwhile, Mohan, who will work closely with Dimi Albers, Global CEO of Dept, joins the agency after a 25 year stint with Vivendi’s Havas Group, where he was widely recognized as the key figure behind the launch and development of the group in Asia Pacific.
Speaking about his appointment, Mohan said that he looks forward to working with Albers and the teams, adding that they will be leveraging the agency’s growing client base and track record in the region to build a business that is ‘big enough to cope and at the same time small enough to care’.
“Dept is a very strong digital transformation agency with a rich tech heritage. Their integrated one-stop-shop principle of delivering tech, design, creative and performance with a simple structure, speed, clarity, and personal contact is why I truly believe it can make a difference in the APAC markets,” he said.
Meanwhile, Albers commented that a team on APAC that will work fully integrated with their teams across EMEA and the Americas will help them make an even bigger impact in the region, both for global clients and local brands. He added that with Mohan’s network, market knowledge, and growth mindset, they have found the right leader to boost their Asia journey.
“Over the last few years, we’ve delivered a variety of impactful projects in the Asia Pacific market for brands like Mizuno, Samsung, Weber, Fujitsu, and KLM. Our vision has always been to help our clients work with the best talent in the world, regardless of geography,” Albers concluded.
