Tag: Expansion

India – StepOne, a local marketing and events startup, has announced its expansion into Singapore after establishing its presence in India, particularly in HR tech, fintech, and retail sectors. This move marks the company’s strategic entry into the Southeast Asian market.

StepOne’s decision to open an office in Singapore is part of its strategic plan to build a presence across the globe. With this expansion, StepOne will be able to share its knowledge of experiential events with the business community in Singapore and provide convenience to its Indian clients who frequently plan events in South Asian markets.

Speaking about the expansion, Rajat Khaitan, founder of StepOneXP, said, “The Singapore base ensures StepOne is well-positioned to serve the entire Asia Pacific (APAC) region and will add to our credibility. With this strategic expansion, we’ll be able to offer cost-effective solutions to our existing clients who are keen on doing events in Southeast Asia, along with taking our incomparable solutions to Singapore and Southeast Asia-based companies.”

Singapore –  Malaysian boutique communications consultancy IN.Deed Communications, has recently unveiled its strategic expansion into Singapore in line with commemorating its upcoming 15-year anniversary.

To kickstart the Singapore expansion of IN.Deed Communications, the agency has partnered with Limitless, a non-profit organisation dedicated to advocating the mental health and well-being of young individuals, to support their social media and PR initiatives.

This milestone not only underscores the company’s commitment to growth and innovation but also signifies their focus on supporting startups, entertainment, technology and healthcare sectors, as well as non-profit organisations in the dynamic Singaporean landscape, specifically in the areas of public relations, influencer marketing and ESG.

Leading this expansion will be Jarieul Wong, who recently served as the head of communications and CSR partnerships at Carousell Group, shaping sustainability narratives, reputation management, and corporate communications. With prior roles at global giants like Disney, Razer, and Sony Pictures and a strong track record and a passion for impactful communication, he is set to drive IN.Deed Communications to new heights in Singapore.

Furthermore, IN.Deed Communications Malaysia and Singapore will bring together various cross-border capabilities, enabling clients to tap into a broader market and gain more insights. The collaboration will foster a seamless exchange of market data, insights, and best practices, creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation and collaboration.

Talking about the expansion, Sophia Lee, co-founder of IN.Deed Communications, expressed her excitement about venturing into Singapore to continue their goal of empowering brands.

“We believe that our unique blend of experience, creativity, and dedication will enable us to deliver exceptional value to clients seeking to expand their market awareness and impact in a way that is marked with INtegrity, INspiration and INnovation,” she added.

Meanwhile, Janet Han, communications director at IN.Deed Communications, commented, “What truly sets us apart is our commitment to people and to do our best ‘in word and in deed’. We look at nurturing a collaborative and supportive environment where our employees thrive and our clients feel part of the IN.Deed family. Our mission is to ensure that both our team members and our clients’ brands achieve their full potential.”

Sydney, Australia – Australian value furniture and bedding retailer Fantastic Furniture has appointed Initiative as its media agency of record.

Through this appointment,  Initiative is tasked with all of Fantastic Furniture’s national and local broadcast media planning & buying, print, outdoor, radio, press, magazines, cinema, and BVOD. 

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that Incubeta, Fantastic Furniture’s Digital agency was not part of the review.

Initiative’s immediate remit will begin on October 1, wherein it will undertake an in-depth analysis of the business to understand its brand identity, target audience and long-term business objectives, to ensure that all media efforts are aligned with the company’s ambition and vision.

Commenting on the partnership, Jo McAlister, managing director of Initiative Sydney, said, “We are confident our strategic approach and quest to hone our craft to create brave, but sustainable campaigns will deliver exceptional results for Fantastic, and will ultimately enhance its brand presence, drive customer engagement and boost sales.”

“Initiative works with clients who have similar cultures and ambitions. We are fearless in our approach to deliver best in class outcomes; we always put our people, clients and partners front and centre in everything we do. It was clear from the start that Fantastic shares the same philosophies, so there is no doubt we will make an undeniably formidable client/agency partnership,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Laurie Lai, chief marketing officer of Fantastic Furniture, commented,  “We are excited to work with a team who is uncompromising in its ambition to provide unbeatable value, smart thinking and pride in their craft, creating the highest quality client outcome possible.

“Initiative presented an excellent understanding of different ways to approach screens and demonstrated they have the right tools to deliver. Their team challenged our thinking from the start, developing a strategy which will ensure we get the best results from our media investment. We look forward to building a strong relationship with Initiative and feel confident our new partnership will deliver continued growth for Fantastic Furniture,” she concluded. 

New Zealand – Media agency Initiative has been appointed as media partner to New Zealand bank ASB and will be expanding its global footprint by launching in New Zealand as ‘Initiative Aotearoa’.

As ASB’s media agency partner, Initiative Aoteroa will be delivering innovative and integrated media strategy, planning, and buying across all channels.

The new business announcement follows a competitive pitch process which saw expressions of interest from a group of high-caliber local and international agencies, with the contract taking effect on September 1. 

Commenting on the partnership, Helen Fitzsimons, chief marketing officer of ASB, said, “We were inspired by Initiative’s philosophy and the impact this is having for its clients around the world. Initiative’s energy, strategic thinking, data smarts, and overall approach were aligned to ASB’s transformational agenda and the ambitions of our marketing practice. We’re excited to welcome Initiative Aotearoa to New Zealand and to the ASB team.”

Melissa Fein, CEO of Initiative AuNZ, also mentioned a move to open a New Zealand office has been on the agency’s agenda, but it was waiting for the right brand to launch with.

“We’ve always admired the sheer creativity of marketers in New Zealand and share their philosophy on embracing bold cultural ideas to fuel growth. As such, a New Zealand presence was always on our radar, but we were waiting for the perfect partner to set up shop. ASB is that partner”, added Fein.

Meanwhile, Sam Geer, managing director of Initiative AuNZ, commented, “We’re excited for this partnership that will see global expertise with the best of New Zealand, delivering innovative solutions in support of ASB’s ambitious plans.”

Malaysia – Southeast Asian network Lion & Lion has announced five new major wins on a domestic and regional scale across its hubs in SEA, coinciding with the agency’s celebration of expanding their team and renewing a long-standing global client partnership.

Recently having secured five domestic and regional account wins across its hubs in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, Lion & Lion sets its sight on steadfast growth, renewing a 3 year old partnership with a global eyewear company and expanding their creative and social team in the process.  

Lion & Lion will also be expanding their solutions team of creative and social media experts, adding 10 new positions in Malaysia from creative group heads, copywriters, art directors, designers, and social media managers alongside new client servicing hires.

Commenting on these developments, Fredrik Gumpel, CEO of Lion & Lion, said, “Our consistent success in both local and regional markets undeniably demonstrates the effectiveness of our strategies. Our adoption of an agile framework through our ‘One Company, Multiple Markets’ approach.”

“This further highlights our capacity to seamlessly integrate specialized regional expertise from Southeast Asia into our offerings, enabling us to deliver tailored solutions to our clients, which adapt to their ever-changing needs,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Cheelip Ong, Regional Chief Creative Officer of Lion & Lion, mentioned,  “Our teams’ solid understanding of creativity, social media and digital experiences has helped in creating winning proposals that resonated with clients. With the multiple brands we have won recently, it makes strategic sense for us to invest in new talents so as to better serve our clients.”

Singapore – Converge ICT Singapore, the international unit of Philippine fiber broadband and technology solutions provider Converge ICT Solutions is now fully geared up to provide service to enterprise customers outside the Philippines.

And with this continuous growth and expansion, Converge appoints technology sales strategist Victor Koh to lead Converse SG as its general manager and head of international and wholesale sales. 

In his new role, Koh will be responsible for managing the company’s operations while driving revenue growth by extending connectivity services and fiber optic capacity to international markets.

Koh carries with him over 30 years of expertise in the information technology and telecommunications industries. He has a proven track record of developing strategies for penetrating new markets.

“Converge has a good opportunity to develop a strong presence in the international carrier space. I’m excited to fulfill my role and support Converge to become the partner of choice for regional international carriers especially as the market becomes more competitive in broadband services,” Koh said.

Converge attained a Facilities-Based Operations (FBO) Licence in Singapore this year. The license allows the company to deploy telecommunications infrastructure and provide connectivity services to wholesale and enterprise customers in the region.

“We realize the opportunities presented by wholesale as a driver for our enterprise business, and Converge will continue to capitalize on that,” said Dennis Anthony Uy, CEO and co-founder of Converge. 

“Converge SG stands ready to enable telecommunication firms, carriers, cable companies, and other businesses in delivering intra-Asia and Trans-Pacific connectivity capabilities for their operations,” he added. 

Through its global subsidiary, Converge offers a variety of international connectivity services, such as Ethernet-International Private Line (E-IPL) service, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) service, and submarine cable capacities, among others.

Grace Uy, president and co-founder of Converge, said, “Converge SG was built on the premise of serving the wholesale needs of international carriers, ISPs and telecommunication firms. We hope to finally capture various growth opportunities for the Wholesale business.”

The fiber broadband provider also continues to expand its networks as it participates in the Bifrost Cable System and the South-East Asia Hainan-Hong Kong Express Cable System (SEA-H2X), which are both set to be operational by next year. 

“With our investments in our international broadband network, we are ready to service and enable the growth of business clients in the region,” Converge SEVP and COO Jesus Romero shared. 

Converge now operates one of the largest international networks in the country with points of presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States.

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.

APAC – Global creative agency Amplify has expanded their global presence with the introduction of ‘Amplify Activate’ across the Southeast Asian(SEA) region, with an extensive network of over 10,000 creators.

With the company establishing roots in Singapore way back in 2020, they’ve set to expand with Amplify Activate, opening new offices in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, bolstering their regional team to 40 employees.

This expansion includes six key hires for Amplify including Jac Solis, previously employed at VIVA Entertainment, as SEA head of operations; JP Bravo and Mariz Ortega as campaign managers for the Philippines; Hannah Tran as campaign manager for Vietnam; Umar Azis as campaign manager for Indonesia; and Nanthapak Kamolchortpreecha as campaign manager for Thailand.

Tom Maynard, founder of Amplify, said, “We are excited to expand our global presence and establish a strong foothold within Southeast Asia. We’ve previously managed large scale social media campaigns across the region, and we’re ready to cement ourselves as APAC’s go-to for influencer management.”

Meanwhile, Alex Reid, co-founder of Amplify, added, “By expanding internationally, we’re opening up new opportunities for content creators and brands to produce some amazing content and build communities. This is a big step for us, and we can’t wait to bring our products and services to clients throughout the region.”

Speaking on his appointment, Solis commented, “I’m thrilled to be leading Amplify’s expansion into new markets in Southeast Asia. This market is expanding rapidly and I’m looking forward to working with each territory’s best content creators and seeking out new opportunities for creators and brands to connect and reach new audiences.”

The move marks a major milestone in the company’s growth, with goals for Amplify to be the leading influencer marketing agency across APAC. Amplify Activate is set to build on Amplify’s continued business efforts in SEA, as well as to continue their efforts and initiatives for the creator-economy.

Australia – Australian adtech company Cartelux has announced that it will take its presence to America by expanding operations to the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Simultaneously, the company appointed Matthew Tickell to lead its operations.

The expansion to American markets, which is cited as the world’s second-largest car market, is a step to further cement its identity as the world’s leading ad-tech provider for the automotive industry. Furthermore, the company added that the expansion comes after its success in European markets at the beginning of 2022 along with its consistent growth in Asia-Pacific Region.

Tickell’s appointment will have him lead the business operations of the company in America. He is an automotive industry leader with a 15-year experience in managing automotive dealerships and automotive software providers. In his last stint, he was with automotive software provider e-GoodManners as director of sales and equity partner.

Joshua Williams, founder and CEO of Cartelux said that they are excited about adding Tickell as part of their team in America. 

Williams added, “Our business has been globally scalable from the beginning and now we are rolling out that capability. Our US engagement also allows us to establish a footprint in the world’s biggest equity market. After North America & Canada, we will add the LATAM market in the second half of this year to complete a global reach.”

Meanwhile, Tickell expressed his delight in leading the expansion of Cartelux into America, whilst believing that the company is by far the most innovative, value-adding, and cost-effective marketing solution.

“Understanding the US mentality of ‘Think Big, Think Forward’, I am confident the Cartelux solution will be well adopted as the perfect platform for centralising dealer marketing programs across sales, finance & aftersales,” he added.

With its significant growth both in APAC and Europe, the company has also appointed Kristin Harder as global head of strategy and partnerships in 2022 and Hervé Genin as general manager for EMEA in 2021.

Cartelux has been working with brands such as Ford, Renault, and BMW Group.

Jakarta, Indonesia – After the opening of its Bangkok office in 2018, Thailand-based advertising agency TJT Creative Lab, with its co-founders Irvine Prisilia and Apiwat Pattalarungkhan, has expanded operations by opening its second office in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

The two co-founders are both creatives with a collective experience of over 20 years working in Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai.

This also serves as a homecoming for Prisilia, who is also the current creative director of the agency. Aiming to give back to her home country, Prisilia brings the agency’s presence in Indonesia to develop its creative and advertising industry.

Since its establishment in 2018, the creative lab was able to work with technology companies including WACOM and Traveloka, electronics company Xiaomi, baking supplies store Bake With Yen, hotel brand Curio Collection by Hilton, gel product Puricas and hair product Dove Haircare.

TJT Creative Lab provides services including integrated marketing communication, performance marketing, campaign localisation, design and branding, and creative production.