HONG KONG – Zeno Group has hired Archetype's Rosemary Merz as head of corporate for the Asia-Pacific region.

Merz joins Zeno’s regional leadership team after six years with Archetype, where she was Hong Kong MD. She arrives amid encouraging momentum for Zeno's corporate business, including major regional mandates from Goodyear, Lenovo and UPS.

Merz reports to Asia-Pacific president Paul Mottram, with whom she previously worked at Bite, where she was also Hong Kong GM prior to the firm's merger with Text100 in 2014. At Zeno, she will focus on corporate communications counsel for clients, along with expanding services in such areas as corporate purpose, diversity and inclusion, and employee communications in Asia.

“From her first days in Hong Kong as an account director, I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with Rosemary in person as colleagues, then later following her progress to become one of the region’s recognized communications leaders,” said Mottram.  “Rosemary’s direct and honest client counsel, combined with her creativity and integrated mindset will be highly valued by Zeno clients and teams alike across the region.

Additionally, SoftBank Robotics' Asia-Pacific HQ in Singapore has appointed Zeno as its communications agency in Australia. Zeno’s remit will focus on promoting business developments in Australia and Asia-Pacific to key Australian audiences.

Specifically, Zeno will handle SoftBank Robotics' media office to launch innovative robotics solutions such as the recently announced AI-powered robot that helps combat the Covid-19 virus in commercial facilities.

Koo Sok Mien, APAC strategic marketing and BD VP at SoftBank Robotics Singapore, said, “At SoftBank Robotics, we aim to commercialise robotics solutions that help make people’s lives easier, safer and more connected. We have very exciting news and partnerships to announce in 2021 and Zeno is a fantastic partner to have in Australia to ensure our innovations make headlines.”

SoftBank Robotics Singapore (SBRSG) adds to Zeno Australia’s growing client base, which includes recent wins with Yorkshire Tea and AmazingCo, along with longstanding clients such as Motorola, Sage, Veeam and WP Engine.