Sandpiper picks new head of public affairs for APAC

Public affairs and strategic communications consultancy, Sandpiper has appointed Saskia Kendall (pictured) as the consultancy’s head of public affairs for the APAC region, according to a statement by the company.

Kendall first joined Sandpiper in 2019, where she held the role of director of healthcare, aiding the firm in growing its healthcare and public offerings and expanding its global client roster.

She brings with her 20 years of experience in public affairs, public policy, and communications in the APAC region, Europe, and the UK to the role. She began her career in the UK Parliament briefly working for Nick Clegg before joining The King’s Fund, an influential healthcare think tank leading their press office and public affairs work, before relocating to Singapore in 2018. Prior to her current role, Kendall was the chief operating officer at Speyside.

In her newly appointed designation, Kendall will oversee a senior and specialist team of public affairs practitioners based across the APAC region, working with clients in a range of sectors including energy, financial services, healthcare, and technology.

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Kendall shared that the consultancy’s public affairs work has grown exponentially over the last few years as clients have become more eager for a holistic and integrated approach to managing their issues and opportunities. “Our unique combination of sector knowledge, public affairs expertise, and research capabilities makes us an ideal partner to support them with this,” she added.

She went on to share her excitement at working with the team at Sandpiper to take its offerings from strength to strength.

Emma Smith, CEO of Sandpiper said that Kendall’s skills are highly relevant to the ever-evolving complex and highly regulated business environment, where the touch points between companies and government are expanding rapidly and public affairs is an increasingly important area for business.

“Her advisory approach combines global experience with local knowledge of the Asia Pacific markets, to help our clients engage effectively with policy makers, experts, and other industry stakeholders,” she said. Moreover, Smith added that Sandpiper’s integrated communications and public affairs offering is a unique proposition in the region, to help navigate the risks and challenges businesses face.

On the leadership front, Sandpiper bolstered its tech practice across the APAC region with new hires earlier this year. The new leadership saw Mark Johnson leading Asia Pacific, Hetty Musfirah leading Southeast Asia, and Rong Li leading Greater China. Each brings considerable experience spanning both strategic communications and public affairs in the technology sector as well as deep market insights.

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