Singapore – Ogilvy has promoted Kunal Jeswani to the role of chief executive officer for ASEAN, a move aimed at driving the agency’s sustained growth and amplifying its creative impact across the region.

In his new role, Jeswani will focus on integrating resources across ASEAN, tapping into each market’s strengths to deliver creative, impactful solutions for clients. This approach combines local expertise with the power of Ogilvy’s regional network for seamless execution.

Jeswani, who joined Ogilvy in 2005, brings over two decades of experience across sectors including CPG, telecom, auto, banking, and tourism. He has led campaigns for major brands, launched a top sports league, and worked on two national election campaigns in India. 

Before overseeing Singapore and Malaysia, Jeswani was CEO of Ogilvy India. Under his leadership, Ogilvy Singapore was ranked the #1 Creative Agency in Asia by the Cannes Lions Creativity Report and named Creative Agency of the Year at the 2025 Singapore Creative Circle Awards. Jeswani also serves on the AAMS Executive Committee and MICA’s Governing Council.

Commenting on his appointment, Jeswani said, “Ogilvy’s network across Southeast Asia is incredibly strong. All of our talent, across the full width of our capabilities, is committed to creative work that drives impact and growth for our clients. I am excited to partner with our leaders across the region to do the best work of our lives, together.”

Jeswani’s promotion to ASEAN CEO reflects Ogilvy APAC’s commitment to growth in the region, strengthening its leadership and positioning ASEAN for continued success and creative impact.

Kent Wertime and Chris Reitermann, co-CEOs of Ogilvy APAC, will continue to lead the region, collaborating with local leaders to drive the agency’s growth and success across APAC.

“Kunal’s track-record of success in India, Singapore, and Malaysia, and his ability to nurture creative excellence, make him the ideal leader for ASEAN. This promotion is not only a recognition of his remarkable contributions but also a reflection of the confidence we have in his ability to shape the future of Ogilvy in this dynamic region,” Wertime said. 

Indonesia – Databricks has announced its entry into the Indonesian market as part of a broader strategy to expand its presence in the ASEAN region, driven by over 70% annualised growth over the past three years.

Databricks’ entry into Indonesia marks a key step in expanding its presence in the ASEAN region. This move aims to help more Indonesian businesses unlock the full potential of their data and AI capabilities.

As part of its entry into Indonesia, Databricks has strengthened its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This collaboration will make the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform available in the AWS Asia Pacific (Jakarta) Region through AWS Marketplace, starting in early 2025.

Indonesian businesses can now harness advanced features like faster custom model development using Databricks Mosaic AI on AWS Trainium chips. This enables them to pretrain, fine-tune, and deploy large language models (LLMs) on their own data with better cost efficiency. Enhanced AWS Marketplace integrations also make it easier to adopt Databricks, allowing companies to scale generative AI applications while retaining full control over their data and intellectual property.

“We’re thrilled to support Databricks’ expansion into Indonesia, which reinforces AWS’s IDR$71 trillion investment in the AWS Asia Pacific (Jakarta) Region. By building the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform exclusively on AWS in Indonesia, we are committed to supporting Databricks and our joint customers to securely manage data locally and drive digital and AI innovation that addresses industry needs,” said Kirsten Gilbertson, head for partner management for ASEAN at AWS.

Meanwhile, Cecily Ng, vice president and general manager of ASEAN and Greater China at Databricks, shared, “We’re excited to bring the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to Indonesia by leveraging the reliability, scalability, agility, and security of AWS. This expansion reflects our commitment to not only deepen our footprint in the region but also help Indonesian enterprises unlock the full potential of their data through advanced analytics and AI-driven insights, enabling them to transform their businesses in an increasingly digital economy.” 

Tokyo, Japan – H+, the strategic network formed by Hakuhodo Inc. and Hakuhodo DY ONE Inc., has launched ‘H+ Intelligence,’ a new planning platform to accelerate business growth for companies in ASEAN using sei-katsu-sha–centered planning, which aims at advancing marketing activities and business growth in the ASEAN region.

H+ Intelligence is a new system and structure designed to realise Hakuhodo’s Sei-katsu-sha Insight philosophy at a higher level and to further advance planning. It provides an environment and framework for accessing anonymised and diverse sei-katsu-sha data. By leveraging AI-powered analytical platforms, it enables more vivid sei-katsu-sha insight and facilitates advanced planning.

H+ Intelligence also offers new value by combining the human expertise of highly experienced strategists with advanced AI technology to analyse data on sei-katsu-sha. This approach enables a deeper understanding of sei-katsu-sha insights and uncovers the true intentions behind their behaviors with greater precision. 

Through this innovative fusion, H+ Intelligence provides actionable insights across various domains. It delivers cross-border consumer insights, helping businesses discover cultural and behavioral trends in diverse markets. By leveraging AI-powered brand discovery, it redefines brand identities using cutting-edge technology. 

In addition, generative AI insights open up new perspectives by engaging with virtual consumers, fostering creativity and innovation. Additionally, H+ Intelligence offers data-driven solutions that empower business growth across advertising, owned media, commerce, and CRM, ensuring impactful and strategic advancements.

“H+ Intelligence functions as the core of the H+ Growth Ecosystem. It conducts sei-katsu-sha insight analysis combining Hakuhodo proprietary data, the client’s first-party data, and platform operator data to analyze sei-katsu-sha insights according to the objective. Leveraging the Hakuhodo DY Group’s global network and focusing on the four key areas, we enhance the evolution of companies’ marketing activities and promote business growth,” the network said in a press statement.

Singapore – Multinational tire manufacturer Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company has announced an expansion to Natalja Voronova’s role at the company, making her the new regional marketing director for ASEANZ, adding ANZ to her scope.

In an exclusive conversation with MARKETECH APAC, Voronova stated that her new role consolidated ASEAN and Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) into 1 cluster with a total scope of 8 markets, which is strategically important and well-positioned to capitalise on the broader growth opportunities for Goodyear in Asia.

“Australia is a very exciting addition, being one of the biggest markets in ASIA with developed carpark and strong Goodyear brand equity. It presents great opportunity for us to promote cross-country collaboration, best practice sharing and stronger marketing synergies within the cluster. I’ll be working closely with regional and ANZ country leaders to reinforce demand generation programs, identify new business growth opportunities and build stronger marketing capabilities within this extended scope,” she explained.

Key milestones and points for regional growth

Voronova first joined Goodyear as the regional marketing director for ASEAN and Korea in March this year, where she also highlighted significant progress against marketing growth strategy for this year.

“As a first step, key strategic priorities have been identified and aligned across the region. We have sharpened Goodyear brand positioning in ASEAN with stronger product offering and communication that has been successfully vetted with consumers and retailers. Big focus has also been on execution excellence,” she said.

She also added that their team has developed marketing guidelines with clear KPIs alongside content toolkits for local marketing organisations to drive measurement mentality and enable consistent high-quality execution. 

“Consumer centricity and strong collaboration with our business partners has been a key enabler for business growth,” she said.

When asked about her key objectives in her expanded role, she said, “Our focus will remain on driving key strategic product lines with end-to-end executional excellence, starting from product availability, visibility in point of sale, communication with a clear and superior proposition and driving consumer conversion. We will be working closely with our retail partners to ensure they have the right support in terms of product training, educational materials and after-sales service.”

Blending sustainability and customer-centricity

When asked about one of the prime marketing trends the manufacturing scene is at the forefront of, Voronova shares how sustainability will continue to impact the way they market their products.

“At Goodyear, we define sustainability as responsibly balancing environmental, societal, and financial demands without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It is an integral part of our business strategy, including multiple initiatives such as the launch of EcoReady tyres – made with sustainable materials, reduction of tire weight and rolling resistance which offers the double benefit for the environment as well as consumers with longer tyre lifespan,” she said.

She also noted the continued rise of electric vehicles in the region, where she said, “Whilst in ASEANZ this segment is still relatively small, it presents big growth opportunity. Goodyear was one of the first tire companies to recognise the structural differences between electric and regular ICE vehicles and their interaction with a road, introducing ElectricDrive product innovation, tailored specifically to electric vehicles. We are very excited about the future opportunities that electric vehicles will bring.”

Moreover, she also stated that consumer centricity with data-driven marketing initiatives will play a key role in accelerating business growth.

“Once we have identified full consumer journey with its touchpoints and needs, now we have an opportunity to provide a truly customised communication and service for each consumer with a help of AI – and do it in a cost and time-effective manner. I’m personally very excited about the opportunities that AI brings to drive business efficiencies, but also how it can help us to unleash creativity,” she said.

“Generative AI has already reached maturity when it comes to static images and is fast evolving in the video space. In Goodyear, where we obsess about our consumers and retailers, we’ll leverage new technologies to serve them even better at every touchpoint,” she concluded.

Singapore – Multinational banking and financial services corporation OCBC has announced key leadership changes amidst the group’s ASEAN-Greater China strategic thrust gathering momentum this year.

Wang Ke, currently CEO of OCBC Wing Hang China, will assume the role of head of Greater China, succeeding Tan Wing Ming. With Wang’s appointment, Ang Eng Siong, currently deputy president and head of corporate banking at OCBC Wing Hang China, will step up as the acting CEO of OCBC Wing Hang China.

Wang joined the OCBC Group in 2012 as the Head of IT in China and expanded his responsibilities to include operations in 2014. He was appointed the head of Pearl River Delta region in 2017, then assumed the position of CEO of OCBC Wing Hang China in 2019. Under his leadership, critical technology infrastructure and capabilities were built up, and the business deftly steered through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ang has been with OCBC since 2009. He spent 6 years in Singapore in various roles across risk management, finance and business development. As part of OCBC’s talent development programme, Ang moved from Singapore to China in 2015. He was appointed China’s chief risk officer in 2018 and head of corporate banking in 2022.

Helen Wong, group CEO of OCBC, said, “I am pleased that our deep internal talent pool has provided the best candidates for these senior Greater China appointments. It affirms our commitment to nurturing homegrown talent and providing avenues for career progression and mobility. Wang Ke and Eng Siong are valuable contributors to the OCBC franchise. I am confident that, in their expanded roles, they will further advance OCBC’s strategic priorities in Greater China.”

Singapore – Adoption and usage of digital banking and payment channels showed an encouraging trajectory among ASEAN consumers based on the latest study conducted by UOB.

The latest study revealed that 55% of respondents had increased usage of their mobile banking app over the past year, with Internet banking via a web browser coming in second at 35%. This shows that ASEAN consumers are increasingly banking on their mobiles to serve their financial needs. 

The study also shows that ASEAN consumers are now more receptive to technologies like consolidated platforms for their financial data. The consolidated financial data platforms clocked a 20% increase in usage region-wide, with Thailand and Vietnam having the most enthusiastic adopters across the region. 

Another notable piece of data worth pointing out is that bank branches saw a 17% rise in usage region-wide, indicating that consumers still valued face-to-face interaction as a complement to the multitude of digital channels available. More than half of Singaporeans prefer to use digital platforms for simple services such as applying for credit and debit cards but still prefer offline or a combination of channels for complex, high-value transactions. 

In the payments space, ASEAN consumers have shown themselves to be savvy adopters of the latest technologies. E-wallets and QR code-based payments topped regional payment modes, with 56% of respondents using them in the past year. E-commerce payment platforms come in second at 49%, and mobile wallet credit or debit cards come in third at 48%. However, the latter is the payment mode that consumers are most interested in trying out, with 22% expressing a desire to do so in the next year.

In Singapore, physical credit and debit cards topped the preferred payment mode list at 62%, showing that consumers still preferred to pay via bank platforms rather than third-party ones. Mobile wallet credit and debit cards and peer-to-peer payment services both ranked second at 50%.

The latest study also found that a significant majority of ASEAN consumers are open to sharing their financial data with banks and are in favour of their information being used to curate products and services personalised to their needs and wants.

Over 70% of respondents find it comfortable sharing financial data to be consolidated by banks on one platform, with 83% preferring to do so via banking apps versus other app service providers like e-commerce or shopping apps and multi-service apps.

Furthermore, of these respondents, more than 90% expressed a preference for receiving personalised product and service offerings in their banking apps. The strong demand for personalisation is also consistent across all age groups, income levels, and genders surveyed.

Jacquelyn Tan, head of group personal financial services at UOB, said, “We are happy to see that the enthusiasm for the push for digitalisation and receptiveness to the new tech era is not losing steam. As a barometer of regional sentiment towards the economy as well as pertinent areas of interest such as spending and financial behaviour and technology, the findings from UOB ACSS 2023 offer valuable insights for consumers and businesses, to adapt and poise themselves to navigate the current uncertain economic environment.” 

She added, “As a financial institution, the trends and insights highlighted by the study relating to consumers’ key concerns, savings, financial, and digital behaviour and preferences will help us better understand our customers across the region. This allows us to cater to their needs and strengthen our engagement efforts, to support our customers in adapting to the new banking and digital landscape and capturing opportunities in the current economic environment to advance towards their financial ambitions.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – AirAsia has enlisted the help of Malaysian synth-pop artist Sam Lopez (aka lost spaces) for the Sounds of Asean music project to celebrate and showcase the diversity of Southeast Asia for ASEAN Day.

‘Sounds of Asean’ contains a line-up of tracks featuring five songs from five cities: Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore. Each track is based on field recordings and will feature audio bites from these eclectic destinations.

For this audio journey project, the Malaysian artist visited these cities, mingling with the locals, embarking on adventures, capturing the sounds, and sampling the vibes of Asean along the way.

Rudy Khaw, CEO of airasia brand co., shared the reasons as to why they chose Sam for the project.

“Sam’s music has this great chill vibe, yet at the same time, it also features bright, clean sounds and great use of sound sampling. We knew right away that we had to get him to work with us on this project. We’ve always been passionate about supporting local talent, and Sam has really managed to bring each city to life with Sounds of Asean,” he said.

Sam has created an audiovisual experience through the Sounds of Asean that brings the listener (or viewer) closer to the rest of Asean, allowing them to immerse themselves in the region’s rich, intricate tapestry.

His works were inspired by the heritage buildings, hawkers, jeepneys, and tuk-tuks, train announcements, temple bells, and even local cats he encountered during his travels for the project.

Speaking on this project, Sam hopes that the vibes of each city will inspire more people to get out and explore the world.

“Bangkok is one of my favourite cities, I call Kuala Lumpur home, Singapore is just so well-planned and walkable. I love Jakarta’s music scene, and this project also brought me to Manila for the first time! Before this project, I’d never thought about how different yet ‘same same’ we are in Southeast Asia, and it’s been fun to work on this project and come up with these tracks,” he added. 

The project will also feature a full playlist and an upcoming travelogue series on Sam’s guide to his favourite places in each of these cities.

OCBC launches unified brand strategy to leverage ASEAN-Greater China potential

Singapore– OCBC recently launched a unified brand strategy across all of its key regions, highlighting its One Group mentality to fully capitalise on the strong ASEAN-Greater China potential. OCBC wants to grow and create an additional S$3 billion in revenue by 2025, outpacing its current growth path, by narrowing its focus on the ASEAN-Greater China region.

Major subsidiaries have changed their names legally in order to create brand uniformity. OCBC Wing Hang Bank Limited in Hong Kong SAR has changed its name to OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, and Banco OCBC Weng Hang, S.A. in Macau SAR. Nowadays, it goes by the name OCBC Bank (Macau) Limited. OCBC Wing Hang Bank (China) Limited is scheduled to change its legal name to OCBC Bank Limited in mainland China during the fourth quarter of 2023, subject to regulatory approval.

OCBC has unveiled a unified, updated logo for its banking firms in conjunction with these legal name changes throughout Greater China. In the fourth quarter of 2023, OCBC NISP, OCBC’s Indonesian affiliate, will adopt the same logo. The Bank of Singapore logo remains the same. It is the exclusive private banking arm of OCBC.

The traditional Chinese sailing ship design was retained in the OCBC logo’s 1998 redesign. This recognizable symbol symbolises the pioneering spirit of OCBC’s founding fathers, who constructed residences and companies throughout ASEAN. Since the bank was founded in 1932, it has always been a part of the logo.

Alongside the unveiling of its updated logo, the Bank has introduced a fresh tagline: “For now, and beyond” . The new tagline embodies OCBC’s inherent DNA of consistently adopting a far-sighted approach in its endeavors and investments. It signifies the bank’s dedication not only to the present, but also to the future, as it strives to create a lasting positive influence on the world.

By unifying its brands, OCBC confirms its dedication to leveraging the combined strength of its network and the integrated capabilities of its One Group in the fields of banking, wealth management, and insurance. This tactical action demonstrates OCBC’s commitment to their growth and is intended to increase support for the growing cross-border goals and expansion of both firms and individuals.

Helen Wong, group chief executive officer of OCBC, said, “The flow business between ASEAN and Greater China is not new to us. We recognise its potential. Over the years, we have built a strong franchise and put ourselves in a very good position to capture these flows. The effects of China’s reopening post-pandemic, the rise of ASEAN for the China plus one strategy and other geopolitical factors have amplified this potential,”

“The unified brand that we have unveiled today is yet another strategic move. It solidifies our One Group approach, one of eight core pillars of our Corporate Strategy that was refreshed in 2022. It also furthers our commitment to customers: that when they bank with us, they have the collective strength of OCBC Group supporting them seamlessly across markets. With this One Group approach, our comprehensive ASEAN- Greater China franchise and twin hub proposition of Singapore and Hong Kong becomes even more compelling,” 

Singapore – Multinational beverage company Coca-Cola has named Matthias Blume as its vice president of marketing for ASEAN and South Pacific, where he will be leading the company’s marketing and brand initiatives across Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands and serve on the company’s senior leadership team in the region.

Blume is a seasoned marketer with 24 years of international marketing experience including 21 years at Coca-Cola and three years at Danone. He has held local, regional, and global roles in a range of markets across Asia, North America and Europe.

He was previously the frontline director for Coca-Cola’s ASEAN & South Pacific operating unit, based in Singapore. Previously, he was the sparkling director for the company’s ASEAN business unit. He has a detailed knowledge of the company’s business across the region and has driven growth and innovation across the company’s stills and sparkling beverage brands.

He was also at the forefront of the company’s introduction of a prominent “Recycle Me” call-out across all its packs as well as the move across Southeast Asia to switch its iconic Sprite brand to clear, transparent bottles which are easier to recycle.

Claudia Lorenzo, president, for ASEAN and South Pacific, said, “Matthias brings a tremendous passion for marketing and people plus a superb knowledge of our bottling system. He also brings a combination of consumer centricity, marketing curiosity and business acumen – strengths that we need and value deeply in our marketing organisation.”

Hong Kong – A vast majority of international buyers in the ASEAN market – 93% – have used online sourcing platforms since the pandemic began, with more than 85% attending virtual fairs to meet their sourcing needs, according to a study conducted by Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a statutory body. Despite this, the study noted that 63% of most buyers surveyed said they would prefer to source via physical fairs or hybrid fairs which consists of 59% of buyers once travel restrictions are lifted.

For those that prefer sourcing online, the study found the top reasons to be 70% preference for searching for new suppliers and making enquiries (70%), wanting to compare products and prices (66%), and opting to identify the latest product trends (57%).

“In the wake of the pandemic, many industries are committed to organising virtual fairs to strengthen the connection between international buyers and suppliers. These events have been well received by the industry, with the survey showing that more than 85% of buyers surveyed had participated in virtual fairs in 2021,” commented HKTDC Director of Research Irina Fan. 

The survey also showed that buyers who prefer hybrid fairs were more likely to register a higher average spend per order (in the range of US$50,000-$100,000+) compared with counterparts who prefer physical or virtual fairs. This suggests that hybrid fairs could be well-positioned to facilitate more lucrative business opportunities.

Fan said,”The survey reflects that more buyers have been choosing to purchase online due to the pandemic. However, this makes it difficult to perform tasks such as product examination and evaluation as well as supplier authentication. We believe that physical fairs and hybrid fairs are the future, with the two complementing each other.”