Co-creation agency Face opens in Hong Kong, Singapore

Face, which also has operations in New York, has dedicated teams of planners, researchers, and social-media specialists who work on new product development, concept generation, brand insight, and positioning projects.

It helps clients such as Coca Cola, O2, Nokia, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, Pfizer, Google, and GSK listen to and understand social-media buzz.

Daniel Tompsett, previously commercial director for the UK and US, will be relocating to Hong Kong and then setting up the region's new offices. In his new role as global commercial director, Tompsett will be responsible for recruiting and growing the new teams in both countries, while continuing to support the global client base and driving commercial opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We have found our skill sets and strategic insights increasingly in demand in China, Indonesia and India by global clients, because we bring something different to the traditional focus group approach to qualitative research," said Andrew Needham, founding partner and CEO of Face. "Therefore, setting up offices in Hong Kong and Singapore is a natural first step in order to be closer to our clients’ local markets."

Face Group already has presence in Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and China.