Allison+Partners names Jeremy Seow as APAC MD

Jeremy Seow is joining Allison+Partners in a newly created role as MD of growth and innovation for APAC. Seow brings nearly 20 years of experience to the table and was most recently Singapore CEO at WE Communications. Previously, he held senior positions at Yahoo, Zeno Group, Ogilvy, and Text 100 (now known as Archetype).

"In a way, we co-created the position," global president Jonathan Heit told PRWeek. "It was a combination of Jeremy's experience, our expanded capabilities (eg data analytics, content marketing, advisory services) as an agency and the ongoing growth as our clients scale in the region and we continue to grow. We are coming off the best year in the history of our agency, and APAC set the pace for much of that growth. This position is a natural evolution of our agency's growth, and Jeremy is ideally suited to take it on."

Seow fills the gap left by APAC MD Serina Tan, who departed the agency after starting Allison+Partners' Singapore office in 2014. She left to spend time with her family.

Seow's appointment is complemented by the promotion of longtime senior consultant Shen Jegathesan to vice president. Jegathesan has served as a senior advisor to the Singapore team since its early days. Both she and Seow will work closely with Heit and director Lewis Moh.

While Seow will spend time working with all the regional offices, his primary focus is Singapore-based clients and their needs both locally and in Southeast Asia.

On whether Seow and Jegathesan will be facing challenges in their new roles in the middle of a global crisis, Heit said that both of them have experienced crises before, such as SARS in 2002 and the global financial crisis of 2008, and that their experience will be of great value to the team and clients.

"From an economic standpoint, our priority is making sure that our clients are positioned for long-term success. We are incredibly nimble, and have been working around the world on programmes for clients that address everything from business continuity to video and digital product launches to replace live events," said Heit.

"Nevertheless, these are unprecedented times. The top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of our team. This has led to us enlisting work from home policies that are not something anyone is accustomed to.

"Jeremy's onboarding has taken place entirely over video conference, as have all of our recent pitches and client meetings. Maintaining the incredible sense of community and culture that differentiates our office while folks can communicate only virtually is something the leadership in Singapore has taken on as an immediate priority."

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