Zuan Azmi joins infrastructure and development company

 Publicis Groupe APAC has appointed Naomi Michael to the newly created role of Chief Communications Officer APAC.

Based in Singapore, Naomi will lead the Group’s regional communications strategy across markets and capabilities, with the aim of elevating its communications function. She will report to Jane Lin-Baden, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific at Publicis Groupe.

Naomi brings more than two decades of international marketing and communications experience across corporate and media organisations in Asia Pacific, Australia, and the U.K. Throughout her career, she has worked at various organisations, including Zenith in London, The Walt Disney Company, The Financial Times, and held agency leadership positions across Sydney, Hong Kong, and Singapore within Interpublic Group and Omnicom Media.

“Naomi is a leader with warmth and conviction who understands that communications play a fundamental role in building belief, alignment, and momentum across a region as diverse as ours,” Jane said.

“With her regional experience and collaborative approach, she will be a crucial partner as we continue to grow clients’ brands and business, launch proprietary solutions created by and for our APAC community, and bring positive impact to the communities where we operate. I’m delighted to welcome her to our APAC leadership team.” 

Global investment firm, KKR, has welcomed James Jarman as a Principal in its APAC communications team.

Based in Singapore, James most recently served as Managing Director at FTI Consulting, where he spent more than 15 years advising financial institutions on media relations and employee and investor engagement across Asia Pacific and London.

In this new post at KKR, he is responsible for supporting and enhancing the regional comms function led by Wei Jun Ong, Head of Asia Pacific Corporate Communications, who oversees the firm’s communications strategy and activities across the region.

James’ appointment follows the hire of Samuel Brustad in 2025, who joined the Tokyo office as a Vice President on the communications team. Samuel was previously a Director at FGS Global, where he advised clients on corporate and financial communications, as well as reputation management. Both James and Samuel will report to Wei Jun. 

Redhill has partnered with BHM Holdings, an integrated communications group in Africa, to expand the firm's communications capabilities across Asia and Africa.

The partnership brings together communications professionals operating in more than 20 markets, including Singapore, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, the UK and the U.S.

Under the agreement, clients of both agencies will have access to each other’s services, local market insights, and media and stakeholder networks. Offerings encompass brand and corporate communications, issues and reputation management, media relations, digital marketing, creative services, stakeholder engagement, and government relations support across the two regions. Sectors include technology, financial services, FMCG, energy, infrastructure, and government relations.

Founder and CEO of Redhill, Jacob Puthenparambil (pictured right) said, “This is about much more than a referral arrangement; we are building the infrastructure for a new era of Asia–Africa commerce". He added that companies expanding between the regions require partners with a strong understanding of both markets.

“Africa’s story is one of extraordinary growth and transformation, and the opportunities for collaboration with Asia have never been greater,” said Ayeni Adekunle, Founder and CEO of BHM Holdings (pictured left). “With Redhill, we have found a partner that shares our ambition, our entrepreneurial spirit, and our commitment to world-class service. Together, we are uniquely positioned to help businesses navigate and succeed across these two dynamic regions.”