Tag: regional hub

Singapore – OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has revealed plans to open an office in Singapore later this year. This will be the company’s fourth international office and its second in Asia, following Japan. 

The Singapore office will act as a regional hub aimed at fostering collaboration and strengthening ties with local and regional governments, businesses, and institutions. OpenAI will also collaborate with AI Singapore, the city-state’s national AI initiative, on generative AI models tailored to the cultures and languages of Southeast Asia. 

During Singapore Tech Week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted the country’s strong history in technology leadership and its role in advancing AI to address societal challenges and boost economic growth. 

He expressed enthusiasm about partnering with the government and the country’s growing AI community as the company expands in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to OpenAI’s careers page, they are opening jobs for its sales, customer success, technical success, and security teams for the Singapore team.

It’s worth noting that this follows a slew of publisher partnerships OpenAI has, including the Associated Press, Axel Springer, The Atlantic, Dotdash Meredith, Financial Times, LeMonde, NewsCorp, Prisa Media, TIME, Vox Media, Conde Nast, and most recently HEARST.

Earlier this year, Grab and OpenAI has announced a partnership, as both companies will design and deliver enhanced experiences for Grab users, partners and employees using state-of-the-art AI capabilities.

Singapore – TRIPTK, a brand transformation studio within Havas Group, has expanded its regional expertise and global innovation capabilities through the opening of a new APAC regional hub in Singapore.

TRIPTK Singapore will be led by Louise Newson who joins as Principal for Singapore with 14 years of expertise in innovation, foresight, and growth strategy across Asia and Europe.

Meanwhile, Laura Tan and Alyson Ho join the Singapore team as associate strategy directors. Tan has experience in trends, foresight, and business strategy for clients in APAC whilst Ho brings with him background in brand and innovation consulting for global and regional B2B and B2C brands.

Havas said TRIPTK serves as a transformation partner for brands “in search of bold change and meaningful growth.” It was founded in partnership with Havas in New York in 2017 and has expanded globally, with a data and analytics hub in Amsterdam, a design studio in Mexico City, and a Europe regional hub in London. Its multi-disciplinary global team offers data and insight, strategy, innovation and design capabilities to help brands be more purpose-driven, consumer-centric and culturally magnetic. 

TRIPTK has already been delivering work in the APAC region for blue chip clients and TRIPTK Singapore is seen to deepen TRIPTK’s global innovation expertise for its existing partners, which include Netflix, VF Corporation, Diageo, Estee Lauder Companies and Marriott International. The regional hub will also serve a dynamic and growing market of APAC headquartered clients. 

Speaking about her new role, Newson said, “APAC is amongst the fastest growing and innovative regions in the world; by 2040 it is predicted to top 50% of the world’s GDP and drive 40% of global consumption. As Asia rises as a centre for innovation, brand leaders increasingly need a partner that can decode the market and develop culturally relevant propositions. It’s towards this huge opportunity that I’m thrilled to join such a dynamic and capability-rich firm as TRIPTK. The team in Singapore has a strong working relationship forged over many years and we’re already exploring some fascinating client briefs. We’re excited for the future, and look forward to partnering with brands to drive bold change and meaningful growth.” 

“The appointment of this highly talented and experienced team in APAC is one more step on our journey to being a truly global brand transformation partner. The strategic importance and complexity of the APAC region demands a team with deep local and regional expertise who can decode ever-changing market dynamics and develop new strategies, products and services for our clients. I am thrilled to be welcoming Louise and the team into the business,” said Sam Hornsby, TRIPTK Founder and CEO. 

In September, Havas Group tied up with Malaysia-based comms agency Invictus Blue. The partnership between the two aims to provide media and integrated requirements for Havas clients.

Singapore – The global mass media and entertainment giant, WarnerMedia, has announced the opening of its new regional hub for Asia in Singapore, which is dedicated for markets in Asia except China and Japan. 

WarnerMedia’s new hub, which was officially opened on September 24, 2021 by Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information (MCI) Josephine Teo, signals the full integration of its businesses in the region that includes Warner Bros., HBO, and Turner brands. It also houses the new streaming platform HBO Max, which is expected to launch in its first Asian markets in the future.

The new office is a sprawling 40,000 sq ft across two floors at Solaris in Fusionopolis, the city state’s media and tech business park. The modern space was designed by Singapore firm ID21 and incorporates a post-COVID and flexible work environment inspired by an ‘Activity Based Work’ strategy.

https://vimeo.com/613699419

Clement Schwebig, WarnerMedia’s managing director for India, Southeast Asia, and Korea, believes that the new flagship office is more than just a new workspace, as it brings together the most incredible parts of their diverse business – from Harry Potter’s Wizarding World to Looney Tunes, Game of Thrones and Wonder Woman – under one roof for the first time.

“Here in Singapore, we have long supported a sizable ecosystem for the entertainment, broadcast, production, and licensing industries. From our new Singapore hub, we will continue with our ambitious plans for the region,” said Schwebig.

Moreover, WarnerMedia expects to substantially increase additional roles in Singapore in the coming years, including those in the technology field as the company increases focus on its direct-to-consumer streaming business led by Amit Malhotra, the managing director of HBO Max for Southeast Asia, India, and Korea.

“As we get ready to launch HBO Max in our first Asian markets, we’ll build on WarnerMedia’s legacy of incredible stories and introduce a brand-new streaming experience for our fans in the region. Our new office space in Singapore as a regional HQ will be the perfect backdrop for the innovative work to be done in the lead-up to our launch,” said Malhotra.

Meanwhile, on a tour of the office, Minister Teo also met with young Singaporean employees, who discussed their early experiences in the media industry. Joining her on the tour was Lew Chuen Hong, the CEO of Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA).

Hong commented, “We are excited that Singapore is home to WarnerMedia’s new Asian Hub. There is tremendous potential in this region, and the new Hub signals the central role that Singapore plays in WarnerMedia’s expansion plans.”

Singapore – Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), a global public relations consulting company, has appointed two key senior hires to strengthen its regional hub capabilities in Singapore.

The new hires are Jason Cheang, the new director of integrated communications, and Vylvianne Devajothi, the new regional PR services lead. Both will report directly to Matthew Briant, the head of H+K’s I+C Hub in Asia and managing director of H+K Singapore.

Cheang has previously worked as the head of digital for the Metia Group teams in the Asia Pacific and Japan. He specializes in digital strategy, creative ideation, and experiential events, which enabled him to work with various companies and government clients, such as the Singapore Tourism Board, Ministry of Transport, and GovTech, as well as Singtel, among others. Cheang will now be responsible for the H+K Asia’s Innovation + Creativity (I+C) Hub, bringing with him his sixteen years of experience in digital strategy and marketing communications.

Meanwhile, Devajothi previously led integrated communications for corporate clients across PR and social at Havas Singapore. She specializes in PR, digital, social, and offline, with a focus on content strategy and distribution, and has worked with different brands, such as Nikon, Philip Morris International, and Singapore Management University, as well as Roche Diagnostics, among others. Devajothi brings with her almost a decade of experience in the consumer and enterprise technology sectors across both the Asia Pacific and the US.

The H+K’s regional hub in Singapore aims to build a team that will drive forward regional consistency while being aligned with local market nuances, and helps brands to communicate effectively.

Commenting on the two new appointments, Briant said, “I am thrilled to have these two accomplished individuals join our regional Hub team. At H+K, we put creativity and team culture at the heart of everything we do. I am confident that this further strengthening of our regional capabilities will drive greater value for our clients through consistently delivering the highest standard of creative and strategic communications across Asia.”

Meanwhile, HS Chung, the president of H+K Asia, also shared that having Cheang and Devajothi onboard underlines their ambition to aggressively pursue growth and focus on creating leading-edge offerings for their clients across the region. 

“Our Innovation + Creativity Hub has been successfully providing our regional clients with Podcasting and Multi-Platform Measurement services particularly in these times among others. By bringing on board these talented minds, I look forward to strengthening our capabilities by implementing customer-centric solutions ensuring purpose and excellence at the center,” added Chung.