Midsize Regional PR Consultancies of the Year 2024

2024 Regional PR Consultancies of the Year (Midsize)

The 2024 Asia-Pacific PR Consultancies of the Year are the result of an exhaustive research process involving more than 100 submissions and meetings with the best PR firms across the region.

Consultancy of the Year winners are announced and honoured at the 2024 Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards, taking place in Singapore on 19 September. Analysis of all Finalists and Winners can be accessed via the navigation menu or below:

Finalists

Allison (Stagwell Group)

Backstory

Allison's growth into one of the world’s best PR firms has not always been as apparent in Asia, where it’s network has progressed at a more sedate pace, but recent years have seen a marked sharpening of its focus in the region. The firm now owns operations in China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand, but makes much of its branded affiliate model which promises the same experience and solutions across a further three markets in the region. In common with Allison’s offering elsewhere in the world, there is considerable breadth to its portfolio, whether B2B, automotive, consumer and finance in China, influencer, employee engagement, technology and consumer in Singapore, or consumer, entertainment and crisis in India. While Allison’s owned revenue adds up to a healthy $22m in the region, that swells to $35m once its branded affiliates are taken into account.

Locations

Allison has around 70 people across five offices in China, along with 25 in Singapore and a smaller presence in Japan. There are a further 130 from its branded affiliates, including 30 in India.

Performance

Allison’s owned operations grew by 31.5% in 2023, with all markets up. China was, perhaps, the biggest success story, growing 27% to $16.3m — with Shanghai leading the way, up 64% over the past three years. The latter operation has benefited from expansion beyond B2B and corporate into automotive, consumer, finance, healthcare and government services. Long term client relationships include Honeywell, Schneider, BMW, Bayer, Roche and Lam Research, while there was expansion from VW Group, Estee Lauder, ASML, Swiss Re and AIA — many of which reflect not only the firm’s deliberate focus on moving into new areas, but also its more integrated capabilities. More broadly, there was new business from Airbus, Alibaba, AWS, Unilever, Lightstorm, Munich Re, Imax, TNC and Sport Radar, along with growth from Adyen, GE Vernova, AliExpress, Honeywell, Booking.com, IHG, BMS, Kyndryl, Dexcom and Thoughtworks.

People & Culture

Allison’s regional leadership team features COO Jeremy Seow in Singapore, along with market heads Jerry Zhu (China), Adeline Goh (Singapore), Pranav Kumar (India), Ichise Akemi (Japan) and Mina Jeong (Korea). Allison’s IDE+A approach to DEI aims to embrace diversity across all aspects of identity, reflected by gender balanced leadership and a culture of empowerment. Each market has its own hybrid working arrangement, while there are employee subcommittees to drive wellness and social activities, supported by benefits across health, wellness, learning and development, financial, and flexibility policies.

Thought Leadership & Work

In conjunction with parent company Stagwell, Allison has developed a suite of AI services and solutions for clients and internal consumption, including policy writing and deployment, access to PrivateGPTs, staff education, training services and content development. Campaign highlights included the SABRE-nominated APAC Travel Confidence Index for Booking.com.

— Arun Sudhaman

Golin (IPG)

Backstory

The return of Darren Burns as Asia-Pacific president in 2020 has heralded a particular elevation in Golin’s profile and growth across the region, with revenues growing 27% over the past three years. From an agency that was once heavily reliant on consumer, Golin has repositioned and diversified its offering, with a booming technology practice now up 25% in 2023, and now accounting for 40% of the firm’s $17m in revenue. Consumer now accounts for 30%, alongside corporate (25%), and an emerging healthcare offering. Underpinning Golin’s transformation are market-leading creative and digital capabilities, which are clearly moving the needle for the IPG firm, best reflected by new products that better reflect Golin’s ability to innovate across Asia.

Locations

Golin has around 200 staff across the region in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, along with smaller teams in India, Indonesia and Japan.

Performance

Golin’s revenue grew 4% in 2023, a relatively slowdown after two consecutive years of double-digit growth, but getting the firm closer to the $20m barrier. In terms of sectors, technology led the way ((+25%), while healthcare doubled from a much smaller base. On a geographic basis, Greater China (+7%) was again the standout performer, thanks to a focus on technology, integrated marketing and corporate/public affairs in Beijing and Shanghai, and technology, corporate, healthcare and social impact in Taipei (+16%). Average revenue from the firm’s top clients grew 4.6%, from a roster that features such names as McDonald’s, Magnum, Disney, Texas Instruments, Micron Technology, LinkedIn, Qatar Airways, Moderna, JBL and Amazon. There was key new business from Uber, Lenovo, Hyatt Hotels, Cariad, Nestle, Merz, Johnnie Walker, AmorePacific, Carbios.

People & Culture

Burns’ has reshaped much of the leadership since taking charge, with Lydia Shen now overseeing Shanghai and Beijing, and Terry Chiang, Rafidah Rashid and Carol Yeung in charge of Taipei, Singapore and Hong Kong, respectively. In addition, chief creative officer Shouvik Mukherjee was elevated to a global EVP role. Golin also benefits from a relatively strong focus on culture, helping it land Best Agency to Work For honours in 2023. This includes a refreshed DEI focus across the region, more employee resource groups, and locally-focused mental health support — resulting in strong scores from its regular employee polling.

Thought Leadership & Work

There has been a noticeable uplift in Golin’s innovation offering under Burns, including the global creative intelligence unit overseen by Mukherjee, which brings analytics and AI tools to deliver stronger creative campaigns. Notably, Golin’s Singapore hub now creates products for the global network, including the Spark AI incubator and the Playbook 3.0 data-led planning approach. Campaign highlights included SABRE-nominated work Heineken and McDonald’s, further reflecting Golin’s innovative spirit in the region.

— Arun Sudhaman

Sandpiper (Independent)

Backstory

Former Weber Shandwick EVP Emma Smith launched her own firm (The Consultancy) in 2003, before selling the business to become part of the UK’s MHP Communications in 2013. After smartly concluding that the firm had better prospects as an independent outfit, Smith led an MBO of the business in 2019, creating Sandpiper Communications as a 100% employee owned operation. That move has helped unlock spectacular growth at a consultancy that focuses on the financial and professional services, healthcare, technology and energy sectors, bolstered by the acquisition of public affairs specialist North Head in China and underpinned by market-leading research capabilities.

Locations

Sandpiper’s 110 staffers are spread across its largest operation in Singapore and its traditional HQ of Hong Kong, supported by smaller outfits in Beijing, Shanghai, Australia and New Zealand, along with new operations in Dubai and Taiwan.

Performance

Sandpiper’s performance since the MBO are as good a reminder as any of the merits of independence. After quadrupling in size since then to crack the $10m barrier in 2022, growth slowed somewhat in 2023, but still remained comfortable above industry average at 10% — taking regional revenue to almost $11m. There were three new offices, and nimble investment in AI, emerging tech, research, energy, ESG and financial services ensured Sandpiper avoided the worst of the downturn. The firm’s financial practice accounts for 40% of regional revenue, with healthcare at 22% and technology, ESG and corporate all at around 11%. There was new business from Lazard, Allfunds, Cathay United Bank, GE Aerospace, Australian Health Service Alliance, Ryman Healthcare, Saudi Ministry of Culture, Smith & Nephew, Schroeders and LG Chemicals, joining an existing client roster that features AstraZeneca, Budweiser, Cigna, Cisco, Cloudlfare, DHL, GE Healthcare, Novartis, P&G, and Schneider Electric. The firm’s one P&L model continues to serve as a compelling differentiator from rivals, as do its research and ESG capabilities.

People & Culture

Smith is very much a hands-on CEO, but the firm owes much of its recent success to an expanded leadership team, which also features chief operating officer Kelly Johnston, Southeast Asia MD Sarada Chellam, research MD Craig Young, and Hong Kong GM Kim Spear. New hires included Fran Boase as professional services head and ANZ MD, Bajahat Homsi as Middle East GM, Michael Rinaman as global strategy MD, and Liz Etherington as technology lead. Financial veteran Richard Barton took on a senior advisor role, while North Head owners John Russell and Robert Magyar exited, as did Hong Kong GM Natalie Siu. Keeping pace with its rapid growth, the firm has significantly elevate its workplace focus, bringing in an external consultant to develop DEI policies and offering tailored employee career plans alongside a a three-tier employee ownership and reward structure. Sandpiper invests 1% of revenue in a formal training and development curriculum, supported by salary benchmarking and competitive benefits. The board is 75% female, and a conscious focus on elevating women has seen seven recently moved up to senior roles.

Thought Leadership & Work

Sandpiper’s research arm has quietly developed into a formidable competitive edge, helping it develop proprietary intellectual property across such as areas as reputation capital, consumer expectations, financial services reputation, and — perhaps most notably — AI in comms, the first global survey of its kind. There are also regular insight newsletter and reports into ESG, healthcare, public affairs, China finance, and sustainability — all of which helps explain why Sandpiper launched a formalised research and insights business earlier last year. There has also been a noticeable improvement in Sandpiper’s campaign work, exemplified by SABRE nominated efforts for Rita Ku and Ser.

— Arun Sudhaman

WE Communications (Independent)

Backstory

Best-known for its technology credentials, WE has undergone a rapid transformation in Asia-Pacific,
after acquiring top-rated outfits in China (Red Bridge), India (Avian Media) and Singapore (Watatawa). The net effect of this expansion, along with an earlier deal for Australian agency Buchan, is that WE now possesses a regional network that extends beyond technology through healthcare, consumer, B2B and corporate/public affairs, and has doubled in size over the past five years. Most of the founders remain involved, none more so than Avian CEO Nitin Mantri, who was elevated to regional MD of WE in an effort to provide more cohesive direction, supported by several regional appointments, a dedicated ‘borderless’ experience team that has seen multimarket client growth of 18%, and further expansion into public policy/advocacy (via India’s Chase unit).

Locations

There are 653 WE employees across offices in Australia, China, India and Singapore, the latter of which includes corporate consultancy Watatawa.

Performance

2023 calendar year revenue grew by 4% to $33m. As usual, India led the way, up 10% in 2023, with Singapore (+10%), also continuing a significant turnaround. In India, there as specific expansion in corporate reputation and crisis, social impact, insights/analytics and public policy/advocacy. New business included major wins of LG Electronics, Cognizant and Amazon, along with Castrol, HCL Technologies, Invest Karnataka, CDRI, Aga Khan Foundation, L’Oreal, Ministry of External Affairs and G20. They join an existing client roster that features Amazon, Deloitte, ITC, Fortis, Sony TV, Reckitt, Peak XV, McDonald’s, Bharat Pe and Nathealth. With 60 people, Chase is probably the country’s largest public affairs firm, working at the intersection of industry and policy for such clients as LinkedIn, Microsoft, Airbnb and YouTube, and making further inroads into other Asian markets. In Singapore, there was new business from Sentosa, Carta, AIA, HSBC, DBS, Prudential and AEPW, joining an existing client roster that features STB, Capgemini, IMDA, NCS, People’s Association, SUSS, SAP and Takeda. Watatawa, meanwhile, pulled in new projects from Neom and Kaplan, to go with a client list that includes FM Global, April, IHH Healthcare and Bloomberg. Australia had a tougher year, but still won new business from Blackberry, Elastic, Scoot, GSK, Takeda, and Gilead.

People & Culture

Mantri’s leadership team includes India MD Neha Mehrotra, and Chase Asia-Pacific MD Manash Neog, while Girish Huria serves as Asia-Pacific head of growth. Daryl Ho leads Singapore, while Dan Woods is Australia MD and Nicky Wang is China CEO. WE’s fiercely independent spirit ensures a strong focus on people and culture, supported by specific initiatives focused on employee wellbeing (including inclusive health insurance for LGBTQI team members and same sex partners), work/life balance, cultural ambassadors and professional development. The firm’s DEI approach empowers local leads to shape programs that are most meaningful to their people.

Thought Leadership & Work

Thought leadership played to WE’s strengths, with the global Brands in Motion study, supported by specific initiatives focusing on ESG (China) and public policy (India), while the Singapore office has developed burgeoning creative stack and AI capabilities. All of which was reflected in impressive campaign SABRE nominated work for McDonald’s, Reckitt, Maruti Suzuki and Singapore Tourism Board.

— Arun Sudhaman

Zeno (DJE Holdings)

Backstory

In recent years, Zeno has emerged as the fastest growing firm in the DJE Holdings family, snatching the spotlight away from its much bigger sibling. But that growth has largely favoured North America; in Asia-Pacific, the firm continues to evolve its offering under Paul Mottram. The firm continues to invest in its technology, strategy and analytics capabilities as it builds a distinctive offering the region, further exemplified by the decision to launch Zeno China Consulting as a joint venture with respected agency veteran Qu Hong. The latter firm focuses on corporate and public affairs at the C-suite level, adding to Zeno’s broader capabilities in technology, consumer and corporate across the region.

Locations

Zeno’s 110-odd staffers are located in Singapore, Malaysia, India, Australia and China, while there are also Zeno teams under DJE in Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Performance

Zeno’s revenues declined by 6% in 2023, amid challenging market conditions, dropping the network slightly below the $10 barrier. Despite that, the firm’s innovation and product offering ensured it continued to win new business from Aldi, Cloudera, Mars Incorporated, Shokz, adding to a client roster that features Amadeus, Coway, F5 Networks, Ivanti, Lenovo/Motorola, Proofpoint, Veeam Software, Western Union, Yorkshire Tea and Zscaler.

People & Culture

Mottram has significantly reshaped Zeno’s leadership team since taking charge, and is now supported by regional growth/innovation MD David Lian and regional business development head Ekta Thomas, while Qu Hong arrived to oversee Zeno China Consulting and soon expanded his remit to include the broader DJE Holdings business in China. Swyn Evans was also named Singapore MD, and Prashant Subramanian joined Zeno India as national corporate lead earlier this year. Zeno aims to measure its success not just in financial terms, but in terms of positive impact on people’s lives, reflected in industry-leading policies on work-life balance, mental health and DEI.

Thought Leadership & Work

Zeno’s innovation offering continues to impress, including research of C-suite executives in conjunction with the FT, a deeper partnership with Page, and continued investment in one of the region’s strongest analytics and intelligence operations. This is reflected in SABRE-nominated work for Motorola Razr and Veeam.

— Arun Sudhaman

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