RF Thunder launches in MENA, names General Manager

NorthStar Insights, a Dubai-headquartered integrated risk and communications consultancy, has appointed Mark Jackson as Senior Advisor, Strategic Communications. The appointment formally marks the firm's entry into the Asia Pacific market.

Mark brings more than three decades of strategic communications experience, advising international organisations on how to build, protect and reposition their reputations across markets. Most recently, he founded Reputation Works in Hong Kong, and has held senior leadership roles at BCW, Racepoint, Memac Ogilvy, Hill & Knowlton, Ketchum and Text 100 with a focus across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe.

His client work has spanned global brands including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Huawei, Intel, American Express and Coca-Cola, across sectors as diverse as technology, sustainability, financial services and the built environment. He is also a Visiting Scholar at HKUST and an active contributor to the Hong Kong communications community through PRHK.

"I'm delighted to join Arth at NorthStar Insights, bringing nearly a decade's worth of experience in East and Southeast Asia to the team," said Mark. "While my focus is on helping companies talk more effectively about sustainability, my wider understanding of sectors as diverse as technology and the built environment will help the team build a client base in what is one of the most dynamic economies anywhere in the world."

Arth Malani, Founder & CEO of NorthStar Insights, commented, "Mark's appointment is a deliberate statement about what NorthStar is building in Asia-Pacific. The traditional agency model - layered, generalist and junior-led - is increasingly mismatched to a region where clients are navigating geopolitical complexity, regulatory divergence and reputational stakes that demand senior judgment from the first conversation."

"Mark embodies exactly what we believe our APAC clients deserve: decades of communications expertise, deep regional fluency, and the ability to move between policy, sustainability, technology and corporate narrative without missing a beat." 

Ellerton & Co. has launched a European practice based in Switzerland. The new practice is designed to support European companies expanding into Asia and Asian companies entering Europe, while also helping European clients to build their brands within the region.

The practice offers services including strategic communications, media engagement, public affairs and integrated marketing, while working closely with the agency’s Singapore headquarters and offices across Asia.

Alongside the expansion, Gloria Montgomery has been named Europe lead. She brings strategic communications and public affairs experience from organisations including the United Nations and Amnesty International.

Commenting on the expansion, Oliver Ellerton, Managing Partner of Ellerton & Co., said, “Most of our European clients tell us the same thing — they see the Asian growth opportunity clearly, but they don’t have a marketing team in Singapore or Jakarta, let alone in Hanoi or Manila. They need a partner who can be their team on the ground: localising messaging, working in their time zones, and helping them earn credibility in markets that don’t reward generic playbooks. Switzerland is the right place to anchor that practice. It’s where a meaningful share of our clients already sit, and it gives us the right footing for the rest of Europe. Gloria has the calibre to lead this chapter.” 

Stellar Communications has introduced a revised consultancy model and new brand identity under sole Owner and Director, Hayley Cole, repositioning the business as a specialist communications consultancy focused on premium hospitality, travel, and leisure brands.

According to the agency, the shift reflects changes it has observed across the communications industry, with brands seeking closer access to senior strategic counsel rather than traditional agency structures. The consultancy said it has restructured around a senior-led model centred on direct client relationships, category expertise, and longer-term communications strategy.

Under the new structure, clients will work directly with senior consultants across both day-to-day communications and broader brand strategy, moving away from a traditional layered agency model.

Hayley said that communications has changed over the past decade.

"Technology has created efficiencies and changed the pace of the industry, but thoughtful strategy, strong relationships and experienced judgement have become even more valuable as a result. Clients increasingly want direct access to senior people who understand their category deeply and can help guide communications with clarity and long-term perspective.

"For us, this evolution has been less about growth in the traditional agency sense and more about refinement.

"We've built a model that allows us to work closely with founders and leadership teams in a highly considered way, shaping narrative, reputation, and communications direction over time. The industry doesn't need more noise. Brands need clarity, consistency, and trusted strategic partners."