MS&L Appoints Head of Southeast Asia

Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L) today announced the appointment of Yvonne Koh as the leader for the agency's Southeast Asia operations. Her appointment is effective immediately.

In her new role, Koh will manage the MS&L Singapore office, in addition to the agency’s operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. She will be responsible for managing key client relationships across the region, business development and talent supervision. She will also collaborate with the leaders of MS&L’s Asia operations, which includes 15 owned offices outside of Singapore and a strong affiliate network of partners in the region.

Koh previously led the public affairs and consumer teams at Hill & Knowlton Singapore, and managed global, regional and Singapore-specific campaigns for clients such as the National Heritage Board, London Eye, UK Trade & Investment and Pernod Ricard Singapore. Prior to that, she was a client services director with a boutique PR firm where she headed the lifestyle and consumer practice, and managed accounts including Procter & Gamble, Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) and Qantas.

"Singapore is the gateway to Southeast Asia for many of our clients, making the office an increasingly important contributor to our growth in the region," said Glenn Osaki, president of MS&L Asia. "Yvonne’s knowledge of the marketplace, coupled with her media know-how, client service capabilities and agency management experience, make her the ideal candidate to drive our business forward."

Koh’s appointment is the latest development in MS&L’s Asia operations. The agency recently announced the hire of Eric Hess and promotion of Kiminori Takeuchi as leaders of MS&L Tokyo, the expansion of its global digital practice in Asia, and acquisition of Hanmer & Partners, one of India’s largest multidisciplinary communications consultancies, which strengthens its presence and capabilities in the region.

MS&L Singapore has capabilities in a wide range of professional services, including strategic counsel, corporate and brand communications, marketing communication development, and events support. The office’s key strengths are in the areas of media relations and digital communications.

For nearly 15 years, MS&L Asia has counseled global, regional and local clients on important communications issues facing their businesses and led award-winning programs. Across six core practice areas of corporate, consumer, healthcare, technology, B2B and digital communications, its teams specialize in supporting international brands seeking to establish, strengthen, protect and expand their businesses in Asia. Regionally headquartered in China, the MS&L Asia network has more than 550 staff in 16 owned offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Its clients’ programs are strengthened by a network of 33 owned locations across India and strong partners in 15 additional Asia markets.

MS&L is one of the world's leading global communications firms. Headquartered in New York, MS&L has 54 offices throughout North America, Latin America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific, as well as an extensive global affiliate network. The agency meets the needs of global and local clients by providing best-in-class services in consumer marketing PR, healthcare PR, corporate communications and technology communications, as well as industry-leading work in digital communications. In 2008, MS&L was named CRO’s #1 PR firm in Corporate Responsibility, won PRWeek’s Promotional Event of the Year award and the Holmes Report’s PR Product of the Year award for Innovation in Influencer Marketing.

MS&L is a member of the Publicis Groupe (Euronext Paris: FR0000130577), the world’s fourth largest communications group, and a global leader in digital and online advertising, media consulting, and healthcare communications. With some 44,000 professionals in 104 countries, the Groupe's activities cover advertising through three global advertising networks: Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, as well as through its two multi-hub networks Fallon Worldwide and 49%-owned Bartle Bogle Hegarty; media agencies with two worldwide networks ZenithOptimedia and Starcom MediaVest Group; and marketing services, including digital and interactive communications through Digitas, relationship and direct marketing, public and media relations, corporate and financial communications, multicultural communications, and event communications. The Groupe is also the world leader in healthcare communications. Web site:

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