SG PR firm Redhill makes HK foray, acquires Creative Consulting Group

Singaporean communications agency Redhill has acquired Hong Kong-based Creative Consulting Group to strengthen its presence and service offering in Asia, marking its first acquisition and hoping to strengthen its global reach and expertise. Post the acquisition, Creative Consulting Group will continue to serve clients in Hong Kong and the Greater China region. Creative Consulting Group boasts a client portfolio that includes Henderson Land Group, Cushman & Wakefield, Bank of Singapore, UBS, JP Morgan, Cyberport, Bang & Olufsen, MMD and Aruba. The agency has approximately 32 individuals.

Founded in 2001 by Belinda Chan (pictured left), Creative Consulting Group is a marketing and PR firm with a track record of delivering PR and communication solutions for clients across various business sectors, including banking and finance, real estate and professional services, lifestyle, and technology.  Chan said, “We have been in Hong Kong for 20 years and the team is ready to embark on a professional journey and a promising breakthrough in our careers. With roots in the dynamic Greater China region, we join forces with Redhill to bring both our achievements to the next level."

Established in 2014, Redhill currently has over 110 employees in 2022. It provides strategic counsel for public relations, digital narratives, crisis management, internal communications and branding across industries and sectors.  "Creative Consulting Group brings not only regional experience and presence but also a high-quality team in Hong Kong and Greater China region. This is an important milestone for Redhill as we set our sights on acquiring like-minded agencies across the world, as we further our mission to be a global agency with Asian roots,” said Jacob Puthenparambil (pictured right), CEO of Redhill. When asked which markets the agency has on its mind, it said Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia were definitely on its radar.

Redhill also came in as one of the leading companies in MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s diversity and inclusion index last year. The agency strives to ensure each individual is fairly compensated based on their attitude and aptitude without discounting anyone for their gender.

Also, Redhill’s diversity and inclusion initiative saw a number of women who had taken extended maternity breaks or were trailing spouses, join the agency. According to the agency, they brought with their passion, dedication and varied experiences which enhanced the creativity and results of the team. Overall, Redhill’s pay parity policy helped it recruit more women. According to the agency, 16% of its total hires in Singapore, after the launch of this initiative, were women who had had breaks in their careers.

In January this year, the agency also made several promotions in line with its talent development plan. The promotions were spread across four divisions – Content and Research, Redhill Studio, PR & Communications, and Operations. Pranav Rastogi, managing director, Redhill said, “People are the most valuable asset of any business. Talent development and growth is one of our biggest priorities – we invest significant time and resources to give our team the skills and competencies they need to succeed in their roles."

The promotions were said to be in support the agency as it continues to broaden its integrated communication capabilities and public affairs offerings across verticals – technology, hospitality and tourism, luxury and lifestyle, finance, healthcare, corporate and investor relations and reputation management. The agency also appointed Anit Kurian (managing director, Middle East & Africa) and Umesh Nair (deputy managing director) and Charu Srivastava (deputy managing director) and Pavan Sahu (deputy managing director) previously that were announced in November 2021.

In 2021, Redhill claims that it grew by almost 50% and hiring 59 new employees, signing on key clients across verticals such as travel & hospitality, healthcare & pharma, luxury & lifestyle, food & beverage, banking & finance, fintech & crypto, government, technology and venture capital.

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