Singapore – PR & marketing agency Bud Communications has expanded its presence in the Southeast Asian region by designating new appointments across its PR and digital content in Singapore, Jakarta, and Sydney.

The first appointment is Sherawaye Hagger (left of the banner picture), the agency’s new client director, and will report to Oliver Budgen (right of the banner picture), founder and managing director of Bud Communications. Prior to joining the agency, she had more than 15 years of integrated communication background and was a former practice director of H+K Strategies Singapore.

The agency has also appointed a new account executive, Virginie Cosentino, and a new account manager Maina Harjani, who was a former managing editor of Indonesia Tatler. Cosentino will overlook the agency’s digital offering, while Harjani will overlook the agency’s regional capability and editorial and content offering.

Stuart Edwards is the agency’s newly-included non-executive director, and will advise on operations and business growth and receive reports from the three aforementioned hires. Prior to joining Bud Communications, Stuart was the founding partner of the business advisory service Edwards & Cowas, was previously COO of Edelman APACMEA, and managing director and part-owner at MullenLowe Profero which was acquired by IPG in 2014. 

“As we dust ourselves off from a turbulent year that has rocked tech companies around the world, the response we’ve seen from our clients vindicates Bud’s journey in becoming Asia Pacific’s leading PR agency for challenger tech brands,” said Budgen.

He also added, “COVID-19 has shown us that as tech companies adapt to fit a changing consumer landscape, they’re increasingly looking for agile, kinetic partners that can offer impactful communications that deliver true strategic value. As a fresh, challenger agency we are extremely proud of how far we have come this year and as 2021 approaches we’re committed to continuing the momentum into the new year.”

Bud Communications’ team and regional expansion have been an effect of recent clients that they are working on, including OTT-revenue management platform, Evergent, electronics e-commerce company RS Components, entertainment marketing agency Culture Group, media intelligence company CARMA ASIA, and cybersecurity firm, White Ops.

Melbourne, Australia – Supply chain consultancy TM Insight is expanding its executive line by hiring three former e-commerce executives as part of TM Insight’s new e-commerce and digital team.

The executives are namely Nicole Scherholz Cipolla (middle of the banner picture) from the Global Fashion Group, Jan Becker (left of the banner picture) from e-retailer Zalora, and Mitch Bittermann (right of the banner picture) from fashion brand Adidas.

Cipolla and Becker will join TM Insight as executive directors of e-commerce, based in Australia while Bittermann joins the company as the executive vice president of e-commerce for TM Insight Asia, based in Singapore. 

Prior to their key positions at TM Insight, Cipolla had served as the group senior strategy director at Global Fashion Group and Zalora Philippines’ chief commercial officer, while Becker is a former director of brand marketing and consumer strategy at Zalora and also the vice president of marketing at Thai-based retail conglomerate Central Group Online. Meanwhile, Bittermann served as the director of e-commerce at Adidas  Southeast Asia.

“Consumers expect a smooth, frictionless, and convenient digital experience, and if they don’t get it from a retailer they will switch to a competitor in a matter of seconds. I’m excited to bring to TM Insight my extensive experience in developing profitable e-commerce businesses and help our clients reimagine what success looks like in the digital age,” stated Cipolla. 

Asked about his new executive position, Becker said, “Nicole, Mitch and I have built and scaled major e-commerce and omnichannel businesses across Europe and Southeast Asia. We understand best practice and now, as part of TM Insight, we can assist clients with their holistic strategy, commercial offering, digital merchandising and marketing, right through to their supply chain and fulfilment solutions.”

On the other hand, Bittermann stated, “Having e-commerce as a small subsection of your retail strategy doesn’t cut it anymore – retailers need to create a holistic e-commerce, retail, and supply chain strategy. Now with TM Insight’s new e-commerce and digital offering matched with the business’ existing supply chain expertise, we can provide a full end-to-end solution. This will be a gamechanger in the industry, which I’m incredibly excited to be a part of.”

The new executives will lead the company’s e-commerce and digital offering across the Asia-Pacific region, working with TM Insight’s broader supply chain and property consulting business to provide businesses a true end-to-end service offering in their retail and supply chain transformations.

Travis Erridge, CEO of TM Insight said, “Our clients have experienced incredible acceleration in e-commerce growth, with global online retail expected to reach up to US $10 trillion by 2023. With this growth, e-commerce is now a crucial component in a retailer’s business strategy that defines its supply chain and property solutions.”