Ellerton & Co. nabs new executive director to drive SEA expansion

Southeast Asia focused public relations and marketing agency Ellerton & Co. has picked Prayaank Gupta as its new executive director. 

In his new role, Gupta will lead the overall growth strategy of the business, and bring in best practices by tapping into his more than 12 years of experience from other fast-growing PR agencies across Southeast Asia.

"A big part of my remit is to help the agency grow - in terms of revenue, and headcount," he said in a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

"This involves hiring people to support revenue growth, to actively contribute to ways we can further delight existing client partners, as well as to drive market expansion and development," he said. "We’re already seeing a stronger pipeline, with a number of new clients placing their trust in our agency - across branding, social media and PR remits."

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He added that he would also be working with the team to help improve the company’s profitability, by implementing processes, best practices and driving efficiencies. "To do this, we are aiming to bring in and retain the best talents where they can be proud of meaningful work, as well as enjoy a fun culture and a life outside of work," he said. 

Prior to his move, Gupta was the vice president, growth and innovation at PRecious Communications. He joined the teamin 2016 as its head of growth and innovation and swiftly climbed the ladder. 

Before PRecious Communications, Gupta was with Litmus PR for three years, joining as a manager in 2013 and moving up to helm the role of senior consultant lead, B2B and Fintech by 2015.

He has also worked in firms such as Ruder Finn and Blue Communications.

"We are delighted to welcome Gupta to the team during what is shaping up to be an exciting period of our story. We currently have offices in Singapore and Vietnam and will be looking to expand further into Southeast Asia to meet the needs of our clients," said Oliver Ellerton, director at Ellerton & Co and who Gupta will be reporting to. "Gupta will be key to this growth strategy and I look forward to sharing additional success stories over the coming months.”

Ellerton & Co. works with brands across a number of sectors including consumer, hospitality, corporate and sustainability, technology, startups and financial services.

Beyond traditional public relations services, the agency provides social media management, branding and design capabilities, as well as investor relations to brands in Southeast Asia.

“I look forward to working closely with Gupta and our leadership team to spearhead the firm’s growth across greater Southeast Asia, expanding beyond our current markets of Singapore and Vietnam," added Michael de Waal-Montgomery, director at Ellerton & Co.

"With Gupta's support, we aim to bolster our team with new hires in the Philippines and Indonesia, while doubling down in Vietnam in the second half of this year,” said Waal-Montgomery.

“I am thrilled to join the team at Ellerton & Co. Both Ellerton and Waal-Montgomery have put together a strong, talented bench of individuals that have successfully built trust with clients over several years," said Gupta.

"I look forward to helping the agency move from a boutique to medium, and eventually large-sized regional agency. Moreover, I am well positioned to support the team through this shift, leaning on my years of experience growing agencies of similar size into major players within the wider APAC region,” he said.

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