Tag: Communications Agency

Singapore – Integrated communications agency APRW has announced the launch of its new business unit Digital Studio by APRW in a bid to meet the clients’ burgeoning needs in all things digital and for the web. As part of the new business launch, Sharon Koh has been appointed as managing director for Digital Studio by APRW.

The new business is an end-to-end digital solutions outfit, which will have deep capabilities in various technical areas to enhance its value-add to all digital stakeholders’ communication needs. In addition, the new business will drive its suite of digital services alongside APRW’S thriving PR practice. The plan to elevate the digital business is not a surprise, as technology and digital communications is the nervous system that links corporate strategy, finance, innovation, operations, and talent in today’s organisations.

“Digital Studio by APRW will comprise of professional specialists leading several functions – including performance and influencer marketing, video production, design and creatives, content marketing, account servicing, strategy and business development,” Koh said.

The new business unit is also a strategic move to attract and retain talents. It provides present and incoming team members with many career and growth opportunities – including different career pathways for the various functions, either a specialist or generalist track; and the possibility of job rotation. 

“Digital Studio by APRW will groom aspiring young talents under the guidance of senior colleagues who will provide mentorship and training to build upon their expertise, and nurture them to become experts in their respective practice. They will also be encouraged to deepen their expertise through continuous learning programmes,” the agency said in a press statement.

Koh further explained that the vision for Digital Studio by APRW was birthed when she first joined APRW to start its digital practice, with a strong focus on social media and Content Marketing. She noted as well that it has been an exciting, rewarding yet challenging journey over the past eight years and APRW’s existing digital practice has grown from strength to strength. 

“We are grateful to have gained trust and confidence from clients across multiple industries, establishing a solid foundation to pave the way for Digital Studio by APRW. With the various specialty functions in place, dual goals are achieved – value-add to our clients with expanded integrated digital solutions, and expand the knowledge base and capabilities of our team members,” she concluded.

Singapore — Redhill, a full-service global communications agency headquartered in Singapore, announced the acquisition of Hong Kong-based marketing and PR firm Creative Consulting Group (CCG). This marks the first acquisition for Redhill and is part of the firm’s efforts to scale globally and regionally.

The agency aims to strengthen its presence and service offering in Asia, and for the newly-acquired CCG, now part of the Redhill family, to continue to deliver serving clients in Hong Kong and the Greater China region.

CCG was founded in 2001 and has been delivering communication solutions to various business sectors, namely banking, finance, lifestyle, real estate and professional services, among others. The firm has handled top-value clients like JP Morgan, Cushman and Wakefield, and Bank of Singapore in their portfolio.

Belinda Chan, founder and managing partner at CCG, said, “We are thrilled to join the fast-growing, award-winning and highly-motivated Redhill family and are looking forward to incorporating a wider spectrum of clients with our diversified expertise. We have been in Hong Kong for 20 years and the team is ready to embark on a fuller professional journey and a promising breakthrough in our careers. With roots in the dynamic Greater China region, we join forces with Redhill to bring both our achievements to the next level.”

Jacob Puthenparambil, CEO of Redhill, commented on the acquisition, saying that the company has long admired the excellent work of CCG, both having built a strong working relationship over the past two years.

“CCG brings with it not only regional experience and presence but also a high-quality team in Hong Kong and Greater China region. This is an important milestone for Redhill as we set our sights on acquiring like-minded agencies across the world, as we further our mission to be a global agency with Asian roots,” Puthenparambil said.

This January, Redhill announced the elevation of several employees across four key divisions following its 2021 end-of-year appraisals to augment its talent development across emerging areas of expertise and services within the agency.

Singapore — Redhill, a full-service global communications agency headquartered in Singapore, has announced the elevation of several employees across four markets following its 2021 end-of-year appraisals. This is in line with Redhill’s focus on talent development and aligned with the agency’s growing areas of expertise and services.

For its content and research division, the new promotions are namely Imran Arif as director for content and research, Karin Chan as senior manager for content and research, and Hannah Nwaozuzu, as senior executive for content and research.

Meanwhile, the new promotions for its creative and production team include Mark Goonewardene as design director, Dulesh Fernando as design team lead, Suraj Maddumage as tech team lead, Nizam Raban as video team lead.

The agency’s PR and communications team also saw a slew of promotions, namely Kenneth Chew as senior account manager, while Eugene Nonis, Victoria Mak, and Tanwarat (Minnie) Tiyapongprapan are promoted as account managers. Meanwhile, Julene Low and Shelton Chang are promoted to senior account executives; while Nea Tateanna, Dominic Lee, Joye Wong, and Audrey Oricelli are promoted to account executives.

Lastly, Wasana Botheju is promoted to the role of the executive for finance and HR as part of the agency’s operations team. Pranav Rastogi, managing director of Redhill, commented on the promotions, saying that people are the most valuable asset of any business, adding that talent development and growth is one of the company’s biggest priorities.

“We invest significant time and resources to give their team the skills and competencies they need to succeed in their roles. I’m delighted to recognize our team’s hard work and dedication and look forward to the continued growth of my colleagues as they assume their new roles and responsibilities,” said Rastogi.

The promotions will support the agency as it continues to broaden its integrated communication capabilities and public affairs offerings across verticals – technology, hospitality and tourism, luxury and lifestyle, finance, healthcare, corporate and investor relations, and reputation management.

Last November, the full-service global communications firm also appointed several managing directors to different teams of key regions to bolster their senior leadership.

Sydney, Australia – Following the company’s recent global rebranding from Bastion Collective, independent agency Bastion has recently acquired New Zealand-based agency Shine, a fifty-member team––now being added to Bastion’s team, accounting to more than 300-count workforce across offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Los Angeles, and New York.

Bastion’s acquisition of Shine sets it to become one of the largest independent communications agencies across Australia and Asia.

Through the acquisition, Shine will be rebranded as Bastion Shine, consisting of clients such as Air New Zealand, telecom Spark, energy company Genesis and Tip Top. Together, they will be joining Bastion’s global roster of clients, including Microsoft, Google, KFC, AIA, L’Oreal, and Carl’s Jr. 

According to Simon Curran, co-founder and CEO at Shine, they were looking for a partner that can help them scale their business more quickly than they can alone. Curran also noted that Bastion had given them the opportunity to not only access global markets in Australia and the US, but also to bring new capabilities into the New Zealand market.

“We weren’t really interested in being swallowed up by a global network, and after a meeting of minds and philosophy with Jack and the Bastion team, we knew we had found the right partners. They’re building a global independent model that has all the benefits of being part of a group, with the advantages of being independently run. For Shine, it’s an ideal scenario and we’re hugely excited about the opportunities this presents,” said Curran. 

Meanwhile, Jack Watts, founder and global CEO at Bastion, commented that their recent acquisition of Shine reflects their recent move of making a ‘New World Agency’, where they look for a partner who thinks wide across the breadth of communications disciplines, and believes that the future of agencies is independence at scale.

“In the team at Shine, not only did we find this, but we also we found a shared set of values and principles that I have rarely experienced. For more than a decade we have both built similar businesses on either sides of the Tasman and to unite now is beyond exciting for our business, our people and our clients. It felt right from the first meeting,” he added.

He also stated that creating the largest independent communications agency in Australasia mirrors the fact that more clients want independence after being under-serviced by multinational agencies.

“Looking back, March of 2020 was one of the defining moments in the 12 year history of Bastion. We quickly set in place a plan and we have stuck to it ever since. That plan was to make difficult decisions early, and then accelerate out hard as the multinational agencies were still waiting for someone in London or Paris to tell them what to do,” he stated.

Watts further added, “And that is exactly how it has played out. Since June of 2020 our business has been experiencing unparalleled growth as we continue to grow existing, and win major new accounts by providing clients access to wide thinking across the breadth of communications services, combined with deep expertise.”

Singapore – Strategic communications consultancy RICE has appointed Raymond Lau as the new account director in its Singapore office, where he brings over a decade of journalism, agency and in-house experience, and will be leading key accounts as the firm’s client portfolio continues to grow.

Prior to RICE, he led chemical company Linde’s digital communications function in Asia-Pacific, where he oversaw internal and external communications activities across the region. He previously served as regional public relations manager for consumer electronics company Razer, driving the company’s global and regional communications campaigns.

Lau began his career in journalism, contributing to publications like The Straits Times, Yahoo! News, Hardwarezone and Techgoondu.

Speaking about Lau’s appointment, Mayda Jutahkiti, general manager for Singapore at RICE, commented, “We are thrilled to have Raymond join our team. Having worked across both agency and in-house roles, and with extensive experience in B2B and technology sectors, he brings valuable perspective and depth to the table.”

She added, “We look forward to working with Raymond as we continue to hire consultants across all levels and expand the team.”

RICE also recognizes the promotions of three consultants: Lizzy Li and Eugenia Siah have been promoted to senior account managers and Lydia Lee to account manager.

Singapore – Redhill, a global communications agency based in Singapore, has announced its new managing directors namely Marienelle Castelino and Tavy Cussinel, in response to their growing clientele base in the Asia Pacific.

Through their new roles, Marienelle will deepen her focus on brand leadership and corporate mandates in markets across Asia-Pacific, specifically Singapore, Indonesia, India, and Cambodia, while Tavy will focus on growing the agency’s education, healthcare, luxury, and lifestyle portfolios.

Marienelle joined Redhill as regional director of strategy in November 2017 and brings over 13 years of experience in brand communications and corporate reputation to the agency. Prior to Redhill, she held client leadership roles for marquee brands like McDonald’s, Pepsi, Mondelez, Coca-Cola and P&G.

Meanwhile, Tavy became Redhill’s director of strategic communications and rose quickly through the ranks. She has spent over two decades working with household names such as Calvin Klein Cosmetics (UK), Parfums International (Europe), Unilever Cosmetics International (Europe), Coty, Rimmel, and Adidas. Previously, she founded and scaled a public relations agency in London, which she sold in 2011 to focus on raising her family.

“I am excited to see the additional growth that Marienelle and Tavy will achieve for Redhill as they build on the excellent work that they have done during their years with us. Despite the pandemic, Redhill has continued to expand and we are ready to push ourselves even further – both in markets and in verticals,” said Jacob Puthenparambil, CEO and founder of Redhill.

He added, “I have full faith in our leadership team to steer the wider Redhill family to greater heights as we focus on our end goal – to become the DBS or Singapore Airlines of the communications world.”

To add to the recent appointments, Redhill has announced the promotions of several Redhill executives namely Marion Ang and Jaslin Tan as senior account managers; Dipti Jaiswal and Clara Tan as account managers; Joseph Ng, Ruth Tan and Septy Wulandari as senior account executives; and Adriana Abidin, Junyi Kuo and Angelica Muk as account executives.

“At Redhill, we are committed to the development of our employees and building a strong culture of internal growth. Each of these individuals has shown dedication and commitment to the success of their clients and the agency, and I congratulate them on their well-deserved promotions. An agency is only as strong as its team, and as I look at our fantastic Redhill family, I am confident of our success,” Puthenparambil added.

Redhill’s recent promotions aims to bolster their existing clientele base, including recently of circular fashion Style Theory, where they were appointed as public relations partner for the brand in Singapore.

Beijing, China – As global communications firm Edelman looks into unifying their public relations and creative work in East Asia, the agency has now added a new member of its growing leadership team, Pully Chau as the recently-appointed agency’s president in Greater China.

Chau brings to the agency 33 years of agency leadership experience to her new role, having served as CEO for Greater China at marketing company Cheil Group, a role she was promoted to in 2017 after joining as the Group’s first woman COO in 2015. During this time, she led the Greater China teams to deliver acclaimed work on the global stage while growing the business to win accounts such as Volkswagen, Tempo, Infiniti, and Coca-Cola.

She grew her passion for integrated communications while working on the P&G business for 17 years at advertising agencies DMB&B and Saatchi & Saatchi in both Hong Kong and Shanghai. She has also previously served as Greater China CEO & Chairman for DraftFCB, an advertising company that has since then rebranded as FCB.

Speaking on her new role, Chau comments, “Nothing beats the excitement of joining the largest PR agency in their quest to redefine the game. With a unified mission to drive fast growth through integration, and by empowering the company’s diverse team of high-flying talent, we are going to take the industry in a new direction.”

Chau will report to Stephen Kehoe, Edelman’s President and CEO for Asia-Pacific, as she will lead the charge on enhancing the agency’s existing offerings and launch new specialist capabilities to further fuel growth.

“Pully is known in the industry as a game-changer. She is the right partner to build Edelman’s future in these unique, high-growth markets that are evolving ahead of the curve. She is a proven business driver, having led large agencies and won substantial client remits at the highest level. Pully is very well connected across Greater China and will be a force multiplier for Edelman in the region,” Kehoe stated.

Moving forward, Chau will be also receiving reports from the leaders of Edelman’s businesses across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taipei; namely, Mark Wang, Adrian Warr and Alexandra Pao, which will aid in building synergies across offices and driving growth across the Greater Bay Area.

The agency now comprises four offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, and comprises over 400 people, a figure that is growing as they add new business to their client roster, which includes adidas, Cathay, Ernst & Young, HSBC, HP, and Mars.

Singapore – The Singapore arm of public relations firm Sandpiper Communications welcomes Rasheed Abu Bakar as its new associate director, bringing a multitude of client experience from technology, energy, and aviation industries.

Through his new role, Rasheed will lead Southeast Asia and international briefs for the firm’s expanding technology, energy and environment, and aviation practices, and is tasked as well in growing these practices.

Prior to the role, he has worked with management consulting APCO Worldwide as its director, where he led international corporate communications and public affairs briefs for clients of the firm’s Singapore and Indonesia offices. In addition, he has also worked with public relations company The Hoffman Agency as account director where he also led growth for the business across both Singapore and Indonesia, which included establishing Hoffman’s office in the latter.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “I was drawn to Sandpiper’s entrepreneurial spirt and inclusive and empowering culture and I look forward to contributing to our team’s success. The pandemic has created both opportunities and challenges for the sectors where I specialize, and it is exciting to see the communications needs of technology companies maturing as digitalization has accelerated significantly.”

“I take great pride in building innovative and impactful teams and count Sir Alex Ferguson as an inspiration. I hope to help lead our talented team towards our common goals of delivering pioneering work for clients, fostering a great culture, and growing our agency,” Abu Bakar added.

He will be working closely with Sarada Chellam, general manager for Singapore at Sandpiper Communications.

“Rasheed has an impressive track record of delivering strategic and high-impact client work, and driving business growth across the industries where he specialises. He also brings a sense of fun to his work, which is one of Sandpiper’s core values. I look forward to having Rasheed as a colleague and working with him to grow our business together,” Chellam stated.

According to Emma Smith, chief executive at Sandpiper Communications, Rasheed’s appointment is timely, as there has been a trend specifically among technology companies to seek after corporate communications to grow and protect their reputation capital.

“Rasheed brings very relevant experience for the times we face, and I am delighted to welcome Rasheed to our team,” Smith added.

Singapore – The Singapore arm of global communications agency Sandpiper Communications welcomes two new appointees being promoted to take charge of the agency’s business operations in the country.

The new appointees are Sarada Chellam, Sandpiper Singapore’s new general manager and Elizabeth Chu, the agency’s deputy general manager. Both will work closely with COO Kelly Johnston, and CEO Emma Smith to drive forward the business in Singapore and across the rest of Southeast Asia.

Chellam has worked previously with the Singapore arm of marketing communications company Ketchem as its senior vice president before joining Sandpiper in 2018 as a director. She specializes in corporate, brand, and crisis communications and provides strategic counsel for clients working across a range of industries including healthcare, technology, travel, and consumer brands. In addition, she brought with her almost 20 years of experience in communications and journalism and has played an integral role in growing Sandpiper’s healthcare practice and digital-first communications offering across the region.

Meanwhile, Chu has been with Sandpiper in Singapore for close to three years and specializes in the financial, technology, and professional services sectors. She set up and grew Sandpiper’s operations in China, spending time between Beijing and Shanghai before returning to Singapore full-time in 2020. She has more than a decade of experience working in corporate communications across Greater China and the Southeast Asia region.

Commenting on their promotions, Chellam said, “I am excited to lead our Singapore office and build on our achievements and growth in recent years. We are fortunate to have hugely supportive clients and an incredible team with a strong entrepreneurial mindset. I look forward to continuing to work closely with them to deliver great work and drive innovation in our industry.”

Meanwhile, Chu commented, “As Singapore strengthens its status as a global business and financial hub, we are well-positioned to serve our clients in this market and to grow the business alongside them. I am honoured to take on this new role, and to support Sarada and the team in continuing to deliver strong results for our clients.”

For Johnston, working with the two appointees has been a privilege, noting that “they are both talented consultants who lead from the front.”

“[They] are strong ambassadors for our culture and values, and have built trusted partnerships with clients. With our Singapore team doubling in size over the past year, their appointments will help drive forward our continued growth and success,” Johnston added.