IAB Singapore expands to form IAB SEA+India

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Singapore is growing, taking on a regional remit for Southeast Asia and India.  In a release, the new IAB says it will bring together publishers, agencies and platforms from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and India.

The new entity will form the IAB global network’s second regional bureau alongside IAB Europe. CEO Miranda Dimopoulous will remain at the helm, representing the region at IAB US board meetings in New York and ComScore’s APAC VP Joe Nguyen will remain Chair.

Most IAB Singapore members already had regional roles, and a newly appointed regional board with heads of publishers, agencies and platforms is now set to be joined by a new regional advisory board made up of local association heads who will meet quarterly with IAB SEA+India's new board.

“Our strategy is to partner with local associations as a first step in terms of infrastructure as well as ensuring all we do respect each market and their unique nuances,” Dimopoulous said in a release.

“Our continued success is dependent on listening and understanding industry needs on the ground to across the region. We will continue to develop our initiatives based on data and feedback from the region which has informed our unique association approach.”

It's unclear however how much local participation there has been thus far in forming the new IAB regional entity.  In a follow-up email conversation with Campaign, Dimopoulos noted the move was driven by IAB Singapore members and the need to support their local offices, leveraging their local relationships.  She maintained this approach showed more respect "as opposed to barrelling in and setting up IAB chapters in each market." 

Asked for clarification on which local associations would help advise the IAB SEA+India, Dimopoulos said it had already identified its partners in Indonesia, Thailand and India with a formal announcement coming soon.

“Expanding further across the region is needed for us all to contribute to credible standards, thought leadership and talent development that is truly Asia first,” added Nguyen.