Cambodia – Global communications group Havas has announced the appointment of seasoned media and marketing specialist Rastislav Kanuch as the CEO of Havas Cambodia

Kanuch will lead Havas Cambodia through a journey of transformation and exponential growth. He will report directly to Alberto Canteli, CEO and chairman of Havas, Nordics, CEE and Middle East, SEA, Korea, and Japan

His responsibilities will encompass collaboration and partnerships, driving new business momentum, and nurturing and leading future-ready teams. 

Kanuch brings with him over 15 years of executive experience. Prior to his appointment, he served as a board member and CEO at UNIMEDIA, one of Slovakia’s largest national media agencies. With a significant emphasis on client service, empathetic leadership, and consistently exceeding customer goals, he had been credited with the agency’s increase in revenue and profitability. 

Commenting on the appointment, Alberto Canteli said, “Rastislav is a crucial addition to our team, integral to our ambition for this market as we strengthen our client-centered collaborative model. His extensive experience in leading agencies to success makes him the ideal candidate, and his expertise will build upon our achievements in Cambodia, propelling Havas Cambodia into its next phase of growth and expansion.”

Meanwhile, speaking about his new role, Kanuch said, “I am thrilled to be part of Havas. The group presents a distinctive integrated offering, supported by a wealth of resources across its global network. With a structure poised to deliver truly innovative solutions that today’s clients demand, I am eagerly looking forward to embracing this new challenge. My aim is to strengthen our commitment to creative excellence and intelligent media accountability, forging new opportunities that will accelerate our growth and momentum in the market.”

Singapore — Singapore-based global GameFi platform, Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA), has struck a partnership with the Japanese-affiliated Cambodian football club Angkor Tiger FC.

Angkor Tiger FC will participate in DEA’s play-to-earn ecosystem as a ‘gaming guild’ as part of this partnership. To that extent, the football club will purchase NFTs of digital assets and in-game items on DEA’s gaming platform ‘PlayMining’ by utilising the investment funds of the club’s sponsors. Within the DEA ecosystem, gaming guilds are organisations that invest in NFTs of the platform’s Play-to-Earn games and generate revenue from the games by playing them in an organized manner.

Naohito Yoshida, CEO of DEA, said, that the business models DEA is working on under ‘PlayMining,’ such as GameFi and Play to Earn, are not only a fusion of gaming and fintech but also aimed at solving sustainable social issues and helping people around the world to achieve their goals.

“We are committed to ensuring that the efforts of DEA and Angkor Tiger FC will contribute to creating jobs and improving people’s livelihood in Cambodia,” Yoshida said.

Akihiro Kato, Angkor Tiger FC’s owner, is optimistic that this partnership will help strengthen the Cambodian economy and the club simultaneously. He added that their aim is to be more than just a football club.

“In our hometown of Siem Reap, usually a vibrant tourist destination, many people have lost their jobs because of the Corona pandemic. As we were thinking about what we could do as a club besides soccer, we met Mr Yoshida and decided to start the Tiger Guild project because we saw the possibility of improving the livelihood of our supporters and the people of Siem Reap. I would like to team up with DEA to create a new form of club management for the next era,” Kato said.

Through this partnership with DEA, the Cambodian football club aims to help create new income streams in Cambodia by leveraging DEA’s diverse range of play-to-earn games. Additionally, the football club has also insisted that supporters who earn rewards by participating in the play-to-earn games deposit their winnings for club-related activities, which will accelerate the stimulation of Angkor Tiger FC’s economic zone.

Bangkok, Thailand – Marketing communications agency FCB Bangkok in Thailand has announced that it has bagged the creative and digital mandate account of nutritional malted drink Ovaltine across four markets in Southeast Asia, namely Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Cambodia.

Through the appointment, FCB Bangkok will lead the creative and digital mandate for the Brand, powered with 360- degree communication strategies aimed at defining the overall brand strategy and the portfolio strategy, as the brand charts its course for the next phase of growth.

For Tutiya Disphanurat, managing director at FCB Bangkok, this has been one of the agency’s toughest pitches in recent times, as it combines insights and understanding from four countries in order to increase engagement with the brand.

“Understanding the brand’s tone and business nuances in various markets was topped by the need to delve more deeply into the relationship of Moms & Kids and gain insights and cultural patterns. Over one and a half months of pitch preparation, we developed an integrated strategy to strengthen Ovaltine’s presence in these markets. The big win also showcases FCB’s strong network in SEA, with great minds coming together, across geographies, working with local and regional insights to make this win possible, together,” Disphanurat said.

Ovaltine, a rich Swiss heritage for over 100 years, features a strong brand awareness and enjoys a good reputation as a nutritional malt drink for kids and adults alike. Ovaltine is a nutritious and delicious drink brand enjoyed by millions of families around the world for its rich malt taste and nutritional value. 

For Pawika Tongtavee, marketing director of Ovaltine for the Southeast Asia market, they chose FCB Bangkok due to ‘their outstanding strategic capabilities and unique creative vision for Ovaltine’.

“FCB Bangkok’s strength lies with strategy, and they are the perfect partners who will help us take the brand to the next level. The passion of the team and the leadership towards the brand, coupled with high energy level and teamwork, is exactly the mix we were looking for,” Tongtavee stated.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Local-based ABA Bank has announced that it has signed in scalable mobile platform provider Forest Interactive as its digital content partner for the bank’s mobile banking app, ABA Mobile.

Through the partnership, ABA Bank will bring ABA Mobile users options to pay for digital vouchers by popular online entertainment and stores, including premium services like Amazon, Google Play Store, iTunes Store, Netflix, Spotify, Mobile Legends Diamonds, Rules of Survival, Roblox, and many more.

Said partnership, according to Soknang To, country manager at Forest Interactive Cambodia, coincides with the current state of Cambodia in regards to digital content consumption, where the country is growing as an emerging market for the digital content audience with over 21 million mobile connections as of January 2021.

“With these vouchers available on the ABA Mobile app, customers can purchase in-game credits and digital gift cards right from their mobile banking app. We are excited to plug in another connection with ABA Bank to make premium content services easily and securely available for Cambodians, thus boosting the Kingdom’s digital financial inclusion effort,” To stated.

Meanwhile, Zokhir Rasulov, chief digital officer at ABA Bank, commented that the partnership with Forest Interactive brings great value to ABA Mobile users, making payments for a variety of the world’s popular services just a few taps away.

“This is the result of how ABA closely monitors and listens to the needs of its clients. We will continue working hard to bring more useful features and services and make the financial life of Cambodians more convenient,” Rasulov said.

Forest Interactive’s Digital Voucher Platform (DVP) comes to the fore as a comprehensive, one-stop portal for vouchers on digital goods to cater to today’s growing smartphone users that prefer online purchases of goods and services. With DVP, users can enjoy a wide array of premium digital content services through simplified and secured payment processes.

Forest Interactive’s endeavor for content subscription strategies has been evident globally, as they announced its expansion to eight countries last year, namely Myanmar, Switzerland, Austria, Kuwait, and Kenya as well as Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia.