Tag: Asia Pacific

Hong Kong – Digital-enabled brand agency Totem Media has announced its latest  partnership with Hootsuite, the global social media management platform.

The newly established partnership allows Totem Media to officially distribute Hootsuite across the Asia region, including China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and India.

Through this collaboration, Totem Media’s clients can look forward to benefiting immediately with instant access to the new offerings. Additionally, Hootsuite can also be integrated with other foundational platforms, including CRM systems and other important channels for growth in Asia.

Talking about  the partnership, Chris Baker, founder of Totem Media, said, “As the Asia region becomes increasingly more important for global brands, we see the value of Hootsuite as a centralized dashboard for marketing leaders. Management teams in Asia need to keep track of multiple markets, ensuring that brand growth is clear and consistent.”

“We are excited about how this partnership will allow us to increase the impact of our work in social media, brand tracking, growth planning, insights and data analysis. Hootsuite, together with its rich ecosystem of apps and tools, should be a foundational platform for CMOs managing the region,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Brad Wochomurka, vice president, global partnerships at Hootsuite, commented, “Totem Media is a great addition to our reseller program. Their mix of digital marketing capabilities, brand growth insights and experience across key Asian markets, make Totem Media a valuable partner.”

Singapore – In a time characterised by rapidly shifting customer preferences and heightened digital engagement, harnessing the power of AI technology has emerged as a paramount strategy for delivering a truly seamless customer experience (CX). AI’s capability to intelligently analyse huge volumes of data and predict customer behaviour not only enables personalised interactions but also empowers companies to proactively address needs, resolve issues, and create journeys that resonate deeply with each individual. But with the CX landscape continuously transforming, how can companies leverage the power of AI technology to adapt to increasing customer expectations and excel in a competitive market landscape?

To explore the potential of platform tech integrations in redefining customer experience strategies, MARKETECH APAC presents a new webinar this September 21. Titled “CX Revolution: Leveraging AI Tech for Seamless Customer Experience“, the webinar aims to impart valuable insights to marketers on leveraging technology to enhance customer interactions, streamline communication channels, and deliver personalised experiences that resonate with the target audience.

The webinar will host a panel discussion with some of leading industry experts in Asia Pacific to share their thoughts on how brands can revolutionise their current customer experiences to become more future-proof and efficient. The panel is composed of Admir Mašin, head of platforms in Asia-Pacific at Infobip; Lisa Collins, director of experience platforms at Accenture; James McIntyre, customer experience lead at Cashrewards; and Prerna Pant, co-founder of Radarr. 

The panel discussion will also discuss the following:

  • Assessing Brands’ CX Scores: What are the crucial aspects when evaluating the performance of brands’ CX scores?
  • Mapping the CX Journey: How do the critical stages of the CX journey play a role in achieving excellence in customer experiences?
  • Empowering CX of the future: How can strategic adoption of future-proof technologies enhance and advance customer experience capabilities?

Meanwhile, Infobip’s Mašin will be also doing a keynote presentation where he will be discussing how brands can elevate and innovate their customer journey strategies through advanced communication technologies. Moreover, it will also tackle the following key points for discussion:

  • Beyond the Surface: Delving into Communication Tech Platforms and Their Limitless Potential
  • Innovating Together: Harnessing Communication Tech Platforms to Break Down Silos in Customer Journeys
  • Strategic Tech Synergy: Illuminating How Communication Platforms Drive Ultimate CX Enhancement

“The rapid advancements in AI technology are sure to revolutionise the CX journey, prompting marketers to redefine their brands’ CX strategies as they aim to enhance customer interactions while also improving agility and efficiency. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from experts on tech integrations, streamlining channels, and personalised experiences for your targeted audience,” said Katherine Sy, regional head of content at MARKETECH APAC. 

CX Revolution: Leveraging AI Tech for Seamless Customer Experience is made in partnership with global cloud communications platform Infobip. Catch this webinar on September 21, 11AM (GMT+8) by registering HERE. See you there!

Singapore – DHL Global Forwarding, the freight specialist arm of DHL Group, has announced three strategic leadership appointments in Asia Pacific: Karsten Michaelis as the new president and representative director of DHL Global Forwarding Japan; Edwin Pinto as managing director of DHL Global Forwarding India; and Praveen Gregory as the new SVP Ocean Freight of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. 

The new appointments are in line with the upcoming retirements of Kelvin Leung, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific, and Charles Kauffman, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding North Asia and South Pacific (NASP). He will step down from his role after more than five decades of valued service to the group.

Kaufmann will hand over country responsibility for Japan to his successor, Karsten Michaelis, while continuing to look after the cluster until the end of the year.

Michaelis will take over Kauffman’s role as president and representative director at DHL Global Forwarding Japan. In his new role, Karsten will be based in Japan and report to Charles Kaufmann.

Michaelis carries with him an extensive career spanning over two decades in the logistics sector. He has been based primarily in the Asia-Pacific region, in locations such as Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Australia, and Singapore. Since joining the group in 2011, Karsten has taken on several managerial roles for Ocean Freight in Asia Pacific, including his most recent position as SVP, Ocean Freight DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific, in 2017.

On the other hand, Edwin Pinto’s appointment as the new managing director for DHL Global Forwarding India comes after the promotion of Niki Frank as the new CEO at DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. He is set to assume his new role by September 2023 in India, and he will report directly to Niki Frank.

Pinto is currently serving as the head of sales and marketing at DHL Global Forwarding in Thailand and Indochina. He joined DHL in 2001 in India and has since worked in several management roles across DHL Global Forwarding. 

Working for the automotive sector, Pinto gained experience across various positions until being named sector director DGF for the South Asia, Pacific, and Africa region in 2010. As of 2012, he was promoted to head of key account management at DGF India. Prior to his current role, Edwin relocated to Thailand in 2014, working as Director of Commercial and Customer Program Management at DGF. 

Meanwhile, Praveen Gregory will also assume his new position as SVP Ocean Freight at DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific by September 2023.

In his new role, Praveen will be based in Singapore and will report directly to Niki Frank, with a dotted line to Casper Ellerbaek, the EVP Global Ocean Freight at DHL Global Forwarding.

Before joining DHL Group in Dubai Ocean Freight Operations in 2008, Praveen had worked for Maersk. In 2010, he relocated to Germany and held several roles in market intelligence and strategy and product development. He moved to Hong Kong in 2018 to take on regional management roles in Ocean Commercial Center and Account Management ISC. In 2022, he assumed his current position as VP Order Management Solutions Asia Pacific.

Speaking on the appointment, Niki Frank said, “With Kelvin and Charles retiring this year, it has opened up a few key positions that we had to fill, and I am glad that we could do so with candidates from the network. This goes to show that we can nurture and retain talent while providing the right opportunities for growth to our employees.” 

“All of them bring the right experience, the required expertise and will provide a fresh perspective to these roles,” he added. 

Singapore – In a slew of leadership appointments to expand their presence in APAC, advertising agency OMD has added a head of digital to its Asia Pacific regional leadership team with the hiring of Dileep Raj Singh.

As head of digital, Singh will be accelerating OMD’s digital leadership agenda, rooted in helping clients address their business challenges and digital ambitions. He will be supporting OMD’s local teams in APAC on operational excellence,as well as its digital transformation frameworks and roadmaps.

Singh is a digital native and brings with him a wealth of experience across product, media agency and client side in APAC, North America and the United Kingdom. His last 10 years have been spent building diverse digital marketing teams covering areas like performance marketing, digital media planning, ad/martech, product marketing, branding and measurement.

Speaking on his own appointment, Singh said, “ As we embark on this journey, I want to leverage the strength of the OMD network – people, technology, data, tools and platforms – to help our clients pivot and navigate through all the new and evolved possibilities in digital media. With this, I aim to position OMD as an unrivaled partner for our current and future clients; to dominate and succeed in this incredibly competitive and multifarious digital realm.”

Meanwhile, Charlotte Lee, CEO of OMD APAC, commented, “It is our global ambition to continue our leadership position in digital, data and technology. In line with this ambition, we are excited to have Singh come on board the OMD APAC leadership team. His background of agency, in-house and start-up experience position him perfectly to understand and address our clients’ business needs.”

Singh will be reporting to Lee, and will be working with chief strategy officer, David McCallen, who were both appointed in 2022, and chief client officer, Sadhan Mishra who was appointed in June 2023, to drive and support APAC local markets as well as regional clients on digital, data and technology needs.

Singapore – Valerie Madon, currently the chief creative officer for Southeast Asia at McCann Worldgroup, is expanding her current role to include the Asia-Pacific region. Madon will be responsible for creative product across Asia as the network continues in its mission to be the irrefutable leader in the business of creativity. 

She also retains her existing role as Chair of McCann Worldgroup’s APAC Creative Leadership Community (CLC).

Madon joined McCann Worldgroup in May 2023 from her previous role as the director of creative shop for SEA and emerging markets at Meta. Her 20 years of experience spans senior network roles at Havas, JWT and VMLY&R, along with two stints at Meta/Facebook.

Speaking on her appointment, Madon said, “It’s a privilege to work with all the diverse talent we have in this region. Their collaboration, hunger and integrity inspires me every day and I look forward to creating more meaningful work together for our clients.”

Meanwhile, Ghassan Harfouche, APAC regional president at McCann Worldgroup and Prasoon Joshi, regional chairman, CEO, and CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, said in a joint statement, “Initially Valerie was tasked with focusing her efforts on our Southeast Asia hub, which houses many key regional clients. We’re delighted that she will now expand her remit to cover the rest of the region, as an inspirational leader for our creative teams across all markets. She has a strong track record in APAC leadership roles and we are confident that she will be an excellent partner and elevate our work.”

Singapore – Global behavioural insights practice Canvas8 has further strengthened its Singapore presence with the appointment of Andrea Ng as APAC insights director and the promotion of Hannah Langton from regional partnerships director for APAC to regional lead for APAC.

Ng joins Canvas8 to expand the practice’s insights offer in the region, whilst Langton will continue to build on her existing remit to strengthen Canvas8’s regional office in Singapore and spearhead the company’s entry into key APAC markets such as the Philippines, India, Australia and New Zealand.

In her most recent role as insights director at Kadence International (Singapore), she was instrumental in enhancing qualitative consultancy and steering digital transition for brands during the COVID-19 crisis. Ng enjoys pinpointing underutilised research areas for brands, and devising methodologies and narratives to heighten the significance of insights for businesses.

Meanwhile, Langton has been with Canvas8 since March 2021 and relocated from the UK to Singapore in November 2022 to lead the practice’s Singapore and APAC expansion.

“This is such a dynamic time to be coming on board with Canvas8 in Asia; the practice is no stranger to the Asian business landscape and is set for exciting regional expansion,” Ng said.

Meanwhile, Langton commented, “I am simply thrilled to welcome Andrea as a member of Canvas8’s core team here in Singapore. Her passionate advocacy for cultural truths and representation in brand initiatives will be a considerable asset to our Singapore client offerings and stand us in good stead as we continue to roll-out our Insights-based client solutions across Asia.”

She further added, “Canvas8 sets itself apart by blending market research, strategic consultancy, and trend forecasting to provide forward-thinking, insight-grounded client solutions.”

Nick Morris, founder and managing director of Canvas8 has outlined the brand’s three primary challenges in Asia as follows: ramping up Canvas8’s regional talent pool, remaining sensitive to the cultural nuances of each individual market, and challenging the perception of traditional market research. 

These appointments come recently after three other recent hires in Canvas8’s new Manila office and a junior analyst hire in Singapore.

Singapore – With half of commuters in Asia Pacific using four or more different payment methods for transportation each month, Visa’s ‘Global Urban Mobility Survey’ conducted by Wakefield Research shows that 58% of respondents expressed a desire to use a single payment method for all transport modes, which would encourage them to use public transport more.

The study surveyed commuters across Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Singapore, with 96% of respondents expecting public transport providers to offer contactless payment methods, and 65% of respondents likely to use a contactless payment option for their public transport needs.

These options include contactless debit, credit or prepaid cards. Benefits cited for leveraging contactless payments include convenience, having less worry about the amount of cash on hand, and a guarantee of the best possible fare through fare capping limits.

That being said, the study also shows that half of commuters are willing to use public transport on a more frequent basis if they are fare-capped. Contactless payments guarantee exact fares for transit riders as opposed to other methods such as cash. Fare capping also limits how much a commuter pays for their total rides in a day, week or month, eliminating the need to tie up funds.

Talking about the results, T.R. Ramachandran, head of products and solutions at Visa Asia Pacific, said, “The study reveals a strong demand among commuters in Asia Pacific for seamless and convenient payment options in public transportation. At Visa, we continue to work closely with governments and transport operators to offer a unified payment experience that accommodates a wide range of payment methods to boost urban mobility by focusing on customer convenience.”

“Digital payment methods for public transport play a key role in supporting underbanked and unbanked individuals, for which public transport remains a necessity. As a leader in digital payments, Visa is committed to ensuring inclusivity in the urban mobility ecosystem through accessible financial solutions,” he added. 

Singapore – Multinational hospitality company Marriott International has announced a slew of executive appointments across Asia-Pacific, excluding China, which positions the company for future growth in the region and tap into its leadership pool to better meet localised needs and support customers, associates, and owners.

Leading the appointment list are John Toomey as chief sales and marketing officer, Asia-Pacific (excluding China); Christina Chan as chief financial officer, Asia-Pacific (excluding China); and Andrew Newmark as chief human resources Officer, Asia-Pacific (excluding China).

Across his 27-year career with Marriott, Toomey has held a strong track record for driving performance and collaboration. Under his leadership, Marriott entered a partnership with digital giant, Rakuten, tapping into their 110-million-member base to expand the growth of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty platform.

Other appointed leaders include Oriol Montal as managing director for luxury, Asia-Pacific (excluding China); Karen Kim, as vice-president for global design, Asia-Pacific (excluding China); and Shawn Hill as chief development officer, Asia-Pacific (excluding China).

Rajeev Menon, president for Asia-Pacific (excluding China) at Marriott International, said, “Asia-Pacific remains a strategic market for the company, representing tremendous growth potential and exciting opportunities for the business. I am confident that our new organisational structure positions us well for the next chapter of growth in the region.”

Hong Kong – Digital wealth platform Endowus has announced that it has raised US$35m in funding, aimed at expanding its digital wealth leadership in Asia. New investors include Citi Ventures and MUFG Innovation Partners, as well as four of Asia’s wealthiest families with various operating businesses spanning banking to real estate across Singapore, Southeast Asia, and Greater China.

Meanwhile, other existing investors include UBS Next, Singapore-based global investor EDBI, Prosus Ventures owned by Naspers, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Singtel Innov8, and Endowus employees.

Endowus had recently launched its services in Hong Kong this year as its first overseas expansion market after Singapore. It is presently the only independent, commission-free, and conflict-free digital wealth advisor and low-cost fund platform in the city.

The successful large fundraiser comes amidst a global slowdown in fintech growth and funding. Despite the difficult financial market conditions, Endowus has continued to experience accelerated growth with group assets now crossing US$5b.

Samuel Rhee, co-founder and chairman of Endowus said, “This successful fundraise at a critical time in the growth of the company is a validation of what we have built so far, and demonstrates the strong belief in the team’s ability to execute in building the digital wealth platform of the future. Endowus is today, one of the largest independent wealth managers and the fastest-growing digital wealth platform in Asia.” 

He added, “It continues to pioneer the digitalisation of personal savings, private wealth and public pension with an unwavering belief in our vision of solving the biggest problems of an individual’s future needs, such as retirement adequacy. We are ready to embark on the next stage of growth targeting exciting new opportunities that will propel Endowus into the dominant position in the digital wealth space across Asia.” 

Meanwhile, Gregory Van, co-founder and CEO of Endowus, commented, “The next stage of Endowus’ growth will hone in on the personalisation of a joyful and meaningful investing experience for all investors at scale. As Asia looks to take over as the biggest wealth market globally, embracing technology and artificial intelligence is critical in providing clients with consistent, transparent, better, and more efficient advice at scale. 

He added, “Endowus remains resolute in helping every individual take control of their wealth goals and achieve better outcomes by systematically fixing misaligned incentives and lack of transparency as a true fiduciary and fee-only advisor. Doing this right will result in a sustainable and generational business that will have a far-reaching socio-economic impact on the lives of our clients and society.”

Singapore – As part of its Asia expansion, Bondee announced the appointment of Fei Yu as their new chief executive officer in order to lead the company outside of their Singapore headquarters.

In her new role, Yu will be accelerating Bondee’s expansion effort and overseeing the platform’s key operations and business developments, seeking to build out a talented team across different functions at its headquarters in Singapore and global offices across Japan, South Korea, and China.

With an extensive background in the technology industry and a proven track record of leadership, Yu brings a wealth of expertise to Bondee. Having held several key senior roles in leading tech firms over the past two decades, including at Meta, Google and Microsoft, Yu is no stranger to driving market transformation through leveraging technologies and empowering businesses to grow by harnessing the latest innovations. Fei is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, with a focus on growing female leadership in business and society.

Speaking on her own appointment, Yu expresses her excitement to join Bondee as its CEO along with the upcoming expansion efforts. 

“Over the past twenty years in the industry, I’ve seen first-hand how the Internet has evolved and transformed the way people connect, share, and engage. With its commitment to transforming the way people connect with the world, Bondee is well-positioned to bring significant changes to this space by harnessing its innovative platform that creates an even more engaging and enriching experience, while making a positive impact on society. Together with our talented and dedicated team at Bondee, we are proud to be rooted in Singapore as our home base,” she added.