Zeno Group Opens Four Full-Service Offices in Asia as Part of Firm’s Global Expansion
Operations in China, India, Indonesia, and Singapore Begin with 58 Staff and 14 Core Clients
SINGAPORE (September 27, 2012) – Zeno Group, the award-winning mid-size agency, and member of the Daniel J Edelman (DJE) family of companies, today announced the opening of four full-service offices in India (Delhi), Indonesia (Jakarta), Singapore and China (Beijing)1. Zeno Asia brings the firm's total number of full-service offices to 11 and 188 team members around the globe.*
Zeno in India, Indonesia and Singapore are already open for business. China is expected to be in place by year-end, by re-branding of DJE's Blue agency to Zeno, pending Chinese government approval. In Indonesia, leading DJE-owned PR firm Stratcom, is also being rebranded and transferred to Zeno ownership. In addition to these four offices, one Zeno satellite office currently operates in Tokyo.
To lead and grow Zeno Asia, John Kerr has been named Managing Director, reporting to Barby K. Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group. Kerr joins Zeno from sister-agency Edelman, which he joined in 2006 to start Edelman Digital Asia - one of the largest and most awarded social media marketing capabilities in the region today.
"We are thrilled to be exporting Zeno's winning model to Asia with John Kerr at the helm. What really sets Zeno apart is building our global brand with social digital at the core. This, coupled with Zeno's challenger mindset and unique culture, frees us to deliver work that harnesses the new and interconnected content and media-centric world in which we live to have a measurable impact on our clients' business," said Barby K. Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group. "No doubt the attributes that have fueled our growth in recent years – nimble and fast; fearless and relentless – coupled with the DJE imprimatur – will enable us to deliver fresh thinking to clients that is both inspirational and actionable," added Siegel.
Zeno Asia will work across key practice areas including consumer, health, technology and corporate affairs – as the firm has successfully done in North America. Integrated across the entire firm, Zeno offers the full suite of traditional and digital PR capabilities. Some local clients from day one of operations include: Autodesk, Emirates Airlines, Facebook, Frisian Flag, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, RPX, SK Planet and Vertex.
"We have a smart, strategic roadmap in place to build Zeno Asia into a market leader in the same way our colleagues have done in North America, said John Kerr, Managing Director, Zeno Asia. Starting today, we have staff in Asia including integrated planners who are experienced in connecting pieces of the transmedia landscape - digital, traditional, owned & created – to deliver industry-leading work and commercial success for our clients. This approach combined with our fearless and fast-moving culture makes for a very compelling proposition," added Kerr.
In 2011 and 2012, Zeno was named PR Week US Mid-Size Agency of the Year and in 2011 was PR Week US Agency of the Year. Also in 2011, Holmes Report named Zeno Group Creative Agency of the Year. In addition, the Zeno Group story opens the first chapter of the 25th anniversary edition of The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations 2, a book that has already been read by more than 2 million people, in 22 languages.
Over the last several years, Zeno has experienced unprecedented double-digit growth and industry recognition for its work with major brands and companies including Astra-Zeneca, Bausch & Lomb, Dreamworks Animation, Kia Motors, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Office Depot, Pizza Hut, Seattle's Best Coffee (Starbucks), Scott's Miracle-Gro and Sears, amongst others.
About Zeno Group
Believers in the fearless pursuit of the unexpected, the award-winning Zeno Group operates as one firm across offices in New York, Chicago, Santa Monica, Dallas, Silicon Valley, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Beijing, New Delhi, Jakarta, Singapore, Tokyo and Sao Paolo. Zeno is the 2011 and 2012 winner of the PR Week US Mid-Size Agency of the Year and 2011 Holmes Report US Creative Agency of the Year. The firm's practice areas are consumer, health, technology and corporate, all supported by planning, digital engagement and media. Clients include: AstraZeneca, Bacardi, Bausch & Lomb, Brocade, Dreamworks Animation, Emirates, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Kia Motors America, Life Technologies, Kia Motors America, Micron Technology, Inc., Nature's Path, Oak Investment Partners, Office Depot, Q-Cells, Pizza Hut, RIM, Sears, Seattle's Best Coffee and VeriFone. Zeno Group is a member of the Daniel J Edelman Company. Please visit us at zenogroup.com, like us on Facebook or follow us @zenogroup.
MEDIA CONTACT: Mark O'Connor
Zeno Group
mark.oconnor@zenogroup.com
212-299-8960 (O)
203-246-9534 (M)
1 Subject to pending government approval to re-brand Daniel J Edelman's Blue agency in China to Zeno
* Employee transitions from other Edelman companies (ie, Edelman, Blue and StratCom) will be completed in 30 days.
2 Jossey-Bass; Published August 2012