MSQ Asia Week

09.30 – 09.45
Welcome to MSQ Asia Week

Susie Hunt, Chair of MSQ Asia, opens the day by framing the conversations ahead - setting out what MSQ believes about brand, growth and the opportunity in Asia, and why this moment matters for leaders in the room.

09.45 – 10.30
The New Rules of Premiumisation in Asia

Premium has shifted. It no longer belongs exclusively to luxury – it lives in the everyday products people carry, display, and share across Asia's most dynamic markets.

This session challenges conventional thinking about what premium means in 2026, and what it actually takes to build elevated brand perception in categories where the old rules no longer apply.

Bringing together perspectives from brand and design leaders, the conversation will explore how cultural intelligence, not universal formulas, is the new driver of premium value and what that means for brands competing across beauty, F&B, and retail in Asia.

Speakers:
Kartik Chandrasekhar, Chief Growth Officer for Mars Snacking - Asia, ANZ, Middle East & Africa
Shalini Seneviratne, Marketing Director, Kimberly Clark
Hoon Lee, Design Director, Kimberly Clark
Celeste Cheong, Managing Director, Elmwood
Lisa Balm, Executive Creative Director, Elmwood

Moderated by Daniel Binns, Global CEO, Elmwood

10.30 – 11.00
Make the Logo Bigger: The Science and Art of Creative Effectiveness

Most brands are producing more content than ever – and being remembered less. In Asia's hyper-saturated digital landscape, the problem isn't reach. It's recognition.

This session challenges the way brands think about creative effectiveness – revealing why so much content fails to drive growth, and what the brands consistently winning attention and recall are doing differently. 

We explore the principles that separate creative that compounds brand value, from creative that simply fills a feed. Part science, part craft – and entirely practical for any marketer producing content at scale in Asia today.

Speakers:
Jason Braddy, Executive Creative Director, Elmwood
Nirati Nayak, Design Director, Elmwood

11.00 – 11.45
Building Brands to Thrive in Asia in The New Digital Age

Asia represents the most dynamic and complex brand-building environment in the world today, where rapid digital acceleration, cultural diversity and evolving consumer expectations are reshaping how brands are discovered, evaluated, and chosen.

We will explore what it takes to build brands that not only scale across Asia but remain locally relevant and commercially effective in each market. From navigating fragmented digital ecosystems to creating content that resonates across cultures, the discussion will focus on how brands can convert awareness into meaningful consideration and demand.

Speakers:
Alex Rodriguez, Senior Marketing Director APAC, Hilton 
Alex de Leon, Group VP, Marketing & Growth, PropertyGuru Group
Andy Edmonds, General Manager, MSQ Asia

Moderated by Graham van Der Westhuizen, Strategy & Programme Lead, Precious Media

11.45 - 12.30
Winning in Asia's Influence Economy: Why the Old Rules of Branding Don't Work and How to Find your Edge

Asia is rewriting the global economy. Frontier companies in AI, green technology, digital infrastructure and financial innovation aren't following a playbook. They're authoring one. The brands that define these new-wave categories won't win on product or price. They'll win on influence.

It's no coincidence that Asia is also home to the world's largest and fastest-growing influencer ecosystem: not just in content creators, but in KOLs, thought leaders, founders and institutional voices that shape entire industries. So why should the companies leading Asia's next wave be any different?

Join us as we explore with a panel of brand leaders and industry experts what it really takes for ambitious, next-gen brands to not just hire influence - but operate as influencers themselves.

Speakers:
Xavier Pang, Global Head of Brand, WorldFirst (Ant International)
Kabilen Sornum, Vice President, Marketing & Digital APAC, Groz Beckert
Susie Hunt, Chair of Asia, MSQ

Moderated by Jackson Ong, Strategy Director, Elmwood 

12.30 – 13.15
Brand Meets Demand: The New Growth Equation for B2B in Asia

Brand and demand have operated in silos for too long, and Asia's top B2B marketers are rewriting the playbook. 

This panel brings together senior B2B marketing leaders to explore the rapid adoption of brand to demand strategies, how budgets are shifting, and how unified full-funnel marketing is rebuilding brand perceptions and driving growth. 

The conversation will also explore how the growing complexity of B2B buying groups is reshaping what it takes to earn collective purchase confidence.

Speakers:
Luca Destefanis, Vice President, Marketing, Kyndryl
Pooja Dhanothia, Sales Director - SEA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Linkedin

Moderated by Jeremy Davis, President of APAC & EMEA, Stein