Whalar launches in Asia Pacific with Matt Sutton at the helm
Whalar, a content and creative platform, has launched in the Asia Pacific and opened an office in Singapore as it eyes growth across the region.
Whalar launches in APAC
The business has named former chief executive officer of Axiata Digital venture, Ada, Matt Sutton as its APAC chief executive officer. He is charged with building Whalar's APAC operations.
Co-founder and chief executive officer Neil Waller said, “We couldn’t be more excited to open our first physical presence in APAC in the powerhouse that is Singapore. APAC has always been a massively important market for us and it’s no surprise with it having 57% of the world's population. It’s also the region with the highest growth rates for social media adoption and we’re excited to help brands leverage the opportunities that come with that.”
The launch is initially driven by existing client demand but with the opening of the Singapore office and the hiring of local talent, Whalar will also be seeking to drive new business in the Asia region. Akash Mehta from LVMH’s Dior Parfums, commented on the launch, “So pleased to learn that Whalar is branching out to Asia and seizing all the great but growing opportunity there.”
To launch the business Whalar hosted a media roundtable in Singapore. Speaking at the event, Sutton explained that while it had ambitions to launch in multiple markets, Singapore as a South East Asia hub would be the first step, with other markets launching later.
He also discussed market trends that were helping to drive the need for platforms such as Whalar. He explained that brands needed scalable creative, driven by the growth and fragmentation of digital channels and that Whalar was a response to a democratisation of creativity that’s also occurred as a result of the internet and social media.
“Forward-thinking marketers are moving towards working with specialist partners that allow them to meet their marketing goals. Driving authentic, inspiring, and influential engagements with consumers is a central part of this," said Sutton.
"The content creation capabilities, deep insights, workflow tools, and service that Whalar provides allow us to liberate the creative voice in a way that was not possible before the advent of this new operating model. It’s going to be an exciting journey as we bring this model to Asia this year."