US political heavyweight joins Edelman

Hong Kong – As government affairs becomes a focus for large corporates Edelman has made a key hire of former US ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin to run its Public Affairs practice across the region.

Lavin joined Edelman yesterday (4 May) to oversee a team of around 10 people spread across Asia Pacific.

Alan VanderMolen, president of Edelman's Asia Pacific operation, told Marketing that while Lavin will have a regional remit, the markets of China and India will be a strong focus. 

VanderMolen added that Lavin's role would also take in issues such as Corporate and Social Responsibility, government regulations and strategies for entering new markets.

"Frank has experience on both sides of the fence from politics to senior banking roles so for us it's a great blend, it ticks a lot of boxes," he said.

Edelman's latest annual Trust Barometer shows that 65% of opinion leaders in Asia believe that businesses should partner with governments and other third parties to help drive decision-making and set strategy on major societal issues. 

More than two-thirds of the opinion leaders surveyed globally are calling upon governments to put further regulations in place across all industries.  

Lavin added that companies need to ensure they have solid government relations in the countries in which they operate to ensure they have the flexibility to pursue their commercial goals.

"I have spent most of my professional life helping companies succeed in Asian markets. I have worked with over 600 companies as they developed their strategies for China, India, and Southeast Asia, and the most frequent error was ignoring the vital role of government decision-making in these markets."