Eight Inc appoints Andrew Au as Executive Director for Eight Inc. in Asia Pacific
Eight Inc. boosts its senior team with the appointment of Andrew Au as Executive Director for the Asia Pacific region. Reporting to Tim Kobe, Founder and CEO of Eight Inc., Au will lead strategic partnerships and business development efforts based out of the Singapore studio.
Au (pictured above) was most recently Managing Director Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific board member for creative agency Imagination. Prior to Imagination, Au was the Managing Partner for Fluid, an independent creative agency that got acquired by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2015. Prior to agency life, he held senior marketing roles with The Economist Group and Fortune Magazine.
Au studied at the New York University and achieved a major in Economics and minors in Journalism and East Asian Studies. He is also the Vice-Chair for The Marketing Society, a global marketing association aimed at fostering and enabling bold and brave marketing.
Au said, “In the realm of experience design and creativity, there are very few standout companies like Eight Inc. As design is increasingly becoming a strategic requirement for organisations looking for a competitive edge, Eight Inc. is uniquely positioned to provide that secret ingredient to organisations that recognise we are truly living in the experience economy.“
Kobe added, “Like our best experience architects and designers, Andrew possesses a certain degree of humility, emotional intelligence and sensitivity in bringing unique insights to the conversation. Coming from Imagination, Andrew understands how we, as human-centered experience designers, approach challenges and will no doubt contribute to the evolution of the dialogue from a design-led approach with our clients.”
“Designing experience demands diversity; of demographic, discipline, culture and belief. The best designers not only recognize this, they utilise it. We believe in designing the best human outcomes for businesses and people. Andrew will play a key role in pushing this business strategy for our clients in Asia Pacific.
“Singapore is at the centre of thought leadership, standing out in the growth and development of design education. In the vision of Design 2025, Singapore strives to be a thriving innovation-driven economy and a loveable city by design, just like the design hubs of Tokyo and Milan.”
“In support of our friends at the DesignSingapore Council, we launched business x designed themed Open Studios for the first time to discuss and celebrate collaborative projects alongside our client-cum-co-creators, who have turned into long-time friends through projects. At the recently launched Singtel FutureNow Innovation Centre, we discussed how design can enable business transformation and at Shimano Cycling World, we explained the role of design and branded experiences as the new face of marketing,” said Kobe.