Allan Phang heads to EVOS Esports as marketing and PR lead

Allan Phang has joined Southeast Asian esports organisation EVOS Esports as regional head of marketing and PR. In this newly created role, Phang (pictured) is tasked to boost the visibility of EVOS Esports and he told A+M that it is going to be “an exciting journey to connect all the dots, especially with thought leaders on a regional and international level”. He will continue to be based in Kuala Lumpur.

Phang’s path with EVOS Esports crossed when he met the esports organisation’s co-founder and CEO, Ivan Yeo, who shared his views of the esports industry. According to Phang, Yeo’s views resonated with his values.

"The most important view Yeo shared that resonated with me was about growing the industry big in a positive way. I feel he's uniquely placed in a position that can virtually impact the next generation," Phang explained. All this while, Phang wanted to take a deeper dive into esports and following the conversation with Yeo, he realised that working with EVOS Esports was his next calling. 

The esports organisation bagged a total of US$4.4 million Series A investment last November, in preparation to capture Southeast Asia's gaming influencer management market. It secured a funding of US$3 million earlier last year with Insignia Ventures Partners, and raised an additional US$1.4 million from a group of angel investors from Indonesian conglomerates, and the top-level management of "a leading eCommerce player" in China. Founded in 2017, the Jakarta-based company is using the funding to grow its entertainment arm, which manages 50 gaming influencers and collaborates with 300 esports talent across Southeast Asia.

The 120-employee organisation is present in five countries including Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines, and three of its teams represented Singapore and Indonesia in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. Additionally, EVOS Esports provides streaming contracts, brand endorsement deals, offline event opportunities to influencers, engineer their social media channels and content creation. EVOS Esports has worked with more than 40 brands to date including Lazada, Axe, Pop Mie, Sukro, Top Coffee and J&T Express.

Phang told A+M that he aims to make EVOS Esports a household name, especially for the Millennials and Generation Z, and also hopes to positively impact and influence the next generation. He added that the passion and energy from esports fans excite him, and with the esports industry growing exponentially, he is thrilled to be part of this journey. 

When asked how the esports scene has changed since 2018, Phang said he is happy to see more non-endemic brands coming on board and supporting the esports ecosystem. Previously with AirAsia Esports, Phang led the airline's esports strategy since 2018 and he had "a personal revelation" that it was time for him to take on a new challenge in life. He spent about seven years with AirAsia and helmed roles including regional marketing, group partnerships and business development, and employee engagement and internal branding. Phang was also involved in AirAsia's first-ever regional hackathon, AirAsia AIRVOLUTION 2017, AirAsia's tie-up with World Electronic Sports Games Southeast Asia, and the sponsorship of the Mineski Dota 2 Professional Esports Team.

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