Month: April 2019

Do Sik Kim (also known as DS Kim) is the Chief Executive Officer – Korea of Redhill. He oversees the day-to-day operations for the team in South Korea, manages all domestic clients and supports key international clients that have an interest in the Korean market.

A veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience, DS has a notable track record in the communications field, as well as an extensive professional network that includes the Prime Minister’s Office, government sectors, and prominent prosecutors and lawmakers in Korea. Key clients that he oversees in Redhill include Delightroom, Enuma, Houstep and H2O Hospitality.

DS began his journalism career at Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s leading news agency, where he honed his legal reporting skills and built his network. He then had a 26-year stint at the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), during which he was a correspondent in Los Angeles for three years and covered landmark stories such as Michael Jackson’s death and the Haiti earthquake. Upon returning to Korea in 2011, he led the digital transformation of the SBS newsroom, created the youth-focused sub-brand SeBeSe News and developed a new business platform in smart media before joining Redhill.

Currently, DS is also an Adviser for Webcash Group, a fast-growing FinTech company in Korea, and is an active angel investor in the startup scene.

DS has a MA in Next Gen. Content Planning from Chung-Ang University in South Korea and a BA in English Literature from Seoul National University. He was also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Southern California’s School of Journalism. In his free time, DS enjoys honing his culinary skills in the kitchen, especially by cooking Korean, Italian and Chinese cuisine.

Tien Ma is the Director – Europe for Redhill. She is responsible for overseeing the strategy and operations of Redhill’s business in the European and US markets, as well as identifying new business opportunities and managing client relationships.  

With over seven years of experience, Tien has a deep understanding of the venture capital industry and limited partners (LP) relations, as well as a solid track record of working with commercial and government clients to improve their external relations. She specialises in strategic communications, investor relations, public policy, stakeholder engagement and more, and has worked with clients such as Palm Drive Capital, Ion Pacific, Tracks, enpact, the Golden Duck and the Republic of Estonia. 

Tien is one of Redhill’s first employees and started her career as a Consultant with the agency in Singapore, where she began honing her expertise in communications strategy for venture capitalists, LPs, multi-family offices and high-net-worth individuals, as well as healthcare, tourism, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). 

In 2017, Tien moved to Germany and was promoted to Director, after which she spearheaded the creation and growth of Redhill’s first international presence in Europe. While the entity first focused on the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Tien later expanded its remit to also cover Estonia, the UK, and the US.  

Tien holds a Masters of Arts in Applied Media Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies from Technical University Dresden, Germany. She is fluent in German, English and Vietnamese due to her multicultural background and also has basic language skills in French, Korean and Mandarin. She also enjoys being active at the gym and learning new skills outside of her core profession. 

Loriann is the Director of UK for Redhill and is based in London, the United Kingdom. She leads Redhill UK and is building a full-service practice with a focus on being a true communications partner to brands in the UK as well as brands looking to expand into the UK market.

​An experienced comms practitioner and creative PR specialist with more than 14 years’ experience working in integrated, strategic and creative communications in the UK and EMEA markets, Loriann has had stints in a number of the UK’s most influential agencies, learning and growing, and bringing energy, passion and creativity to every role. She believes in the power of PR to make a difference and sit within culture.

Loriann has worked ​with some of the world’s most exciting, innovative and high-profile brands. These include Microsoft, LEGO, Gillette and eBay, as well as UK heavy hitters TUI, cinch, Halfords, Sky and Coral, for whom she has delivered insight-driven strategic comms, creative conversation-starting campaigns, authentic and relatable influencer programmes, perception-changing public relations and attention-grabbing stunts.​

Outside of work, Loriann can be found dancing with her friends, hanging out by the sea, travelling, or wearing sequins.

Umesh Nair is a Deputy Managing Director of Redhill. He is responsible for driving strategic communication initiatives for the firm’s key clients across sectors, leading its technology and finance practices, and heading Redhill’s operations in Malaysia. 

With more than a decade of experience, Umesh’s expertise ranges from reputation management, strategic communication and stakeholder engagement to influencer marketing and brand communications. At Redhill, he leads key client relationships including Nokia, edotco Group, B Capital Group, Vertex Holdings, NTT Data, 500 Global, and Innoven Capital. He has also previously worked with notable clients like the Alibaba Group, Microsoft, BAE Systems, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), AT&T and more. 

Before joining Redhill, Umesh was a Managing Partner at MSL, where he led its Malaysia operations and was responsible for integrating earned communication capabilities across the Publicis Groupe’s top 10 clients. He was also the Head of Reputation with Edelman Malaysia, where he established its reputation practice and managed its key clients across technology, corporate and public affairs. Previously, he had stints at Burson-Marsteller in India and FleishmanHillard in India and Malaysia. 

Umesh’s leadership and expertise are recognised within the industry, having been named in the Top 20 Global Indians list for 2021 by Reputation Today, India’s magazine for public relations and communications professionals. He also led MSL to win gold under the PR Agency of the Year category at the Agency of the Year Awards Malaysia 2019. 

Umesh completed a Postgraduate Programme (equivalent to an MBA) in Management, Marketing and a bachelor’s degree in Commerce. He is a true technology enthusiast at heart and can often be found delving into the latest gadgets, systems and games. 

Pavan Sahu is a Deputy Managing Director of Redhill. He oversees the India, Indonesia and Singapore markets, providing strategic counsel on corporate communications, public relations, social media and branding, new business development, talent and crisis management for all accounts within the region.  

Pavan has 15 years of experience in communications and has executed many campaigns for global clients. He has led client work in sectors such as technology, finance, FinTech, cryptocurrency, retail, e-commerce, education, aviation, healthcare, logistics and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).  Marquee clients and brands he has worked with include Danone, Truecaller and Crayon at Redhill, as well as Sony, HDFC Life, Xylem Inc and Network 18 previously. 

Prior to joining Redhill, Pavan was an Assistant Manager of Corporate Communications, PR, Digital & Brand for Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), where he was responsible for branding and policing, digital marketing and social media as well as internal and corporate communications. He also co-founded Yellow Communications, a brand and PR consultancy, and has previously held marketing and PR roles in BMW India and MSLGROUP India. 

Pavan and his team have won several accolades for Redhill. In 2022, he and his team in India won bronze in the Reputation and Issues Management category at the PR Awards Asia 2022 for their crisis communications strategy for Builder.ai. In 2021, he led his Indonesia team to win the Merit Award for Outstanding Brand/Product/Service launch at the PRISM Awards 2021 for their work with Danone. 

Pavan has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing Management from the Mumbai Educational Trust League of Colleges, as well as a Bachelor of Mass Media from R.D. National College in Mumbai, India. He has also completed a Design Thinking certification course with KPMG India. An enthusiast of the arts, he has acting certifications and has organised music festivals and musicals. He has also modelled in advertisements and promotions and holds a black belt in Budokan karate. 

Marta Bigio is the Senior Director, Sustainability at Redhill. She oversees Redhill’s internal sustainability projects under the Greenhill initiative and provides client counsel in sustainability-related affairs. These include but are not limited to Redhill’s clients in the electric vehicle (EV), carbon credits and plant-based spaces, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs). 

With over 15 years of in-house and agency experience, Marta has contributed her expertise in brand positioning, corporate communications, media relations and crisis management to some of the world’s leading brands, and now specialises in helping companies and NGOs tell their sustainability stories. Some of her past clients in other roles include, Unilever, Mars, Heineken, NBC Universal, JCB, Suntec and the Singapore Science Center. 

Marta began her communications career with stints at ModaLisboa and Hill & Knowlton in Portugal. She then joined Crocs, Inc in the Netherlands and later moved to Spain to become the Communication Director of Mars, before settling in Singapore as an Account Director of AKA Asia. Her last role before joining Redhill was as the Global Senior Communications Manager, Sustainable Sourcing of Unilever, where she translated Unilever’s sustainable sourcing initiatives into compelling stories to create awareness and engage internal and external stakeholders. 

Marta has a Masters in Marketing and Advertising from the Escola Superior de Comunicação Social in Lisbon, Portugal. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Communication from the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal. An active hiker and trekker, she counts Mount Kilimanjaro among her conquests and has her sights set in Nepal next.  

Farah is a Senior Director based in Singapore. Specialising in tech and finance, she is responsible for leading strategic development for key businesses – as well as to seize business opportunities that will elevate Redhill’s position in the region.​

Farah’s journey in public relations and communications started in 2010 with Ogilvy Public Relations, where she worked with brands from various industries – Shell Malaysia, Pfizer, Sunway Group and others. Since then, she has also been with Leo Burnett and Edelman Malaysia.

Prior to Redhill, Farah was a business lead for SPAG, a start-up PR firm based in Singapore. She launched the firm’s presence in Malaysia and grew its portfolio to include the Central Bank of Malaysia, Capital Markets Malaysia, IOUpay and Novartis.

Fernanda Nidecker is a Director at Redhill. She oversees PR and Digital accounts in Singapore providing strategic counsel on public relations, communications, social media and performance marketing.

She started her career as a multi-lingual journalist with over 10 years of international news desk experience in leading newspapers Brazil and at the BBC in London, where she developed strong storytelling, editorial and presentational skills in some of the most challenging environments. ​

She then transitioned into PR and digital marketing, creating campaigns and managing European media communications for major Brazilian companies, including Petrobras, Norte Energia and senior political figures.  Fernanda also worked with a number of brands in the corporate and retail sectors in the UK leading digital strategies to increase brand visibility across multiple online channels, grow online communities and drive sales. 

Before joining Redhill, Fernanda developed and implemented social media and PR strategies for the MDU, the UK’s biggest healthcare professional indemnity provider with over 200,000 members.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communications from Universidade Federal Fluminense from Brazil, and a Masters Degree in Media and Sociology from Universite de Paris, in France. Outside work, Fernanda can be found baking cakes, cycling with her two children or on the yoga mat.