Singapore – Vero has taken a majority stake in Mad Hat Asia, tightening its grip on Southeast Asia’s fragmented communications market and sharpening its pitch to clients seeking both policy nous and cultural relevance.
The deal brings together Vero’s regional network and strength in corporate, government relations, and public affairs with Mad Hat Asia’s consumer-facing, culture-led approach.
The combined entity is positioning itself as a more integrated player in a region where brands increasingly need to move across markets, languages, and regulatory regimes with ease.
The move comes as consultancies race to bulk up capabilities beyond traditional PR, folding in social, content, and data-driven insights.
For Vero, the acquisition bolsters its presence in Malaysia while adding creative firepower in Singapore. For Mad Hat Asia, the tie-up opens access to Vero’s broader suite of services, including public affairs, analytics, and strategic planning.
“Vero has built an exceptional reputation across Southeast Asia for its strength in corporate, public affairs, government relations and strategic communications,” said Rengeeta Rendava, Founder of Mad Hat Asia.
Further adding, “Joining Vero gives us the opportunity to learn from that strength while contributing our own perspective on culture, digital-first audiences and strength in consumer storytelling into the mix. Together, we’re in a much stronger position to deliver integrated, insight-led communications that truly reflect how companies and brands need to operate today.”
The integration also tightens alignment between Mad Hat Asia and Vero’s government relations arm, Vero Advocacy, particularly in Malaysia—an increasingly important market where regulatory awareness and cultural nuance often intersect.
“Mad Hat Asia was already familiar to Vero. We have worked closely enough to understand how they operate, how they think and how their clients respond,” said Thanpitcha Suksawad, Chief Financial Officer at Vero. “When the conversation evolved into something more permanent, it was a natural progression. This isn’t expansion for scale; it’s a focused investment to strengthen our positioning in the region. This deal reflects our broader growth plan: scaling the business with discipline and a focus on long-term value creation.”
Mad Hat Asia will plug into Vero’s analytics and intelligence infrastructure, part of a wider push to embed data more deeply into communications strategy.
Both firms are also investing in AI-led capabilities, aiming to balance automation with what they describe as “people-led storytelling”.
“The Mad Hat team has built a business with a real creative identity and genuine heart over the past decade, and that’s exactly the kind of energy that will help to power our progress,” said Brian Griffin, Chief Executive of Vero. “Bringing Mad Hat Asia into Vero deepens our ability to combine PR and government relations in Malaysia. We believe it’s this combination of PR and government relations that helps clients grow and protect what they’ve built across this region. Ultimately, Mad Hat and Vero are fundamentally aligned on building an organization where the most talented communicators in Southeast Asia thrive and want to build their careers.”
