London, 5th of July 2022.- Brand Finance is expanding its business by installing Alex Haigh as Managing Director Asia Pacific in Singapore and acquiring Zest Research Consultancy in Kuala Lumpur. The purchase of Zest will bring Benjamin Webb and Lilyadwina Binti Mohamed Yahya, as Brand Finance’s newest market research experts.
Brand Finance has strengthened its presence in the Asia Pacific region including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam due to the strong performance of Asian brands in the recent years despite pandemic induced disruptions.
Alex Haigh, Managing Director Brand Finance Asia Pacific, commented: “The global economy has evolved drastically over the last 25 years, and it is undeniable that Asian brands have been taking the lead in many areas of innovation and growth. The recent expansion of Brand Finance Singapore is the result of the growth achieved in Asia Pacific and reflects our commitment to further growth globally.”
The Asian continent has the highest percentage of the number of brands that have jumped into the ranking in the last 10 years and the highest increase in brand value contributed.
According to the Brand Finance Global 500 2022 report, the growth in the number of Asian brands in the ranking is much higher than that of Americas or European brands. While in the last 10 years, American brands have increased by 2% and European brands have decreased by 10%, Asia Pacific brands have grown by more than 7%.
It is also the continent that has increased the most in terms of percentage of brand value contributed. The contribution of brand value by APAC brands has increased from 22% in 2012 to 31% in 2022, an increase of 9%, whereas Americas brands increased by 4% and European brands decreased by -14%.
Brand Finance to reinforce its structure in Asia Pacific region.
Alex Haigh will lead the Singapore office from July 2022, taking over from Samir Dixit who joined Brand Finance 11 years ago and has successfully managed and grown Brand Finance’s oldest subsidiary.
Alex is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor with 10 years of experience in brand valuation and research. For the last few years, he has been the Global Technical Director of Brand Finance focussing on service development, quality control and global integration for the group. While doing this, he has been overseeing our international growth in the US and Europe – managing and growing these international teams successfully while delivering on many different types of client projects.
Alex will be taking over Singapore’s current team to strengthen research department in Brand Finance Singapore with Benjamin Webb and Lilyadwina Binti Md Yahya and involving the broader global team.
Ben has enjoyed a 30year career in market research spanning Europe and Asia. He worked as a Director with Synovate (IPSOS) and Nielsen before establishing his own research agency, Zest Research Consultancy Sdn Bhd, in 2011. His expertise focusses on applying qualitative and quantitative research to support decision making throughout the marketing decision cycle. He has intimate knowledge of the Malaysian market and has worked extensively in the broader Southeast Asia region.
Lily joined Zest Research Consultancy after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Finance from The University of South Australia. She has risen to become Fieldwork Manager overseeing all aspects of recruitment and learning and development.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance for more than 25 years, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organizations of all kinds make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance has offices in over 20 countries, offering services on all continents. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 5,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on over 5,000 brands, surveying more than 150,000 respondents across 38 countries and 31 industry sectors. Combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database enables Brand Finance to arm brand leaders with the data and analytics they need to enhance brand and business value.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm, leading the standardization of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.