JWT Malaysia's MD Nicole Tan heads to Facebook

Facebook is opening up its new office in Malaysia and has hired JWT Malaysia's managing director Nicole Tan to head up the Malaysian arm.Tan will take on the role of head of Malaysia, Facebook. Tan (pictured) will lead the local business team that will partner closely with businesses and agencies, helping them get more value out of Facebook's solutions.Tan was appointed by JWT in 2013 to lead the Malaysia operations and replace Param Sakia.She has over 20 years of industry experience in the FMCG, tech, and automotive sectors. In addition to her experience leading the Malaysia team, she previously served in account leadership roles for JWT in China.“Malaysians on Facebook are an active and mobile first community. They have 60% more friends than the global average and spend more time watching video on their smartphones than consumers in any other country in SEA. With more than 13 million people in Malaysia connected to a business Page, we also know they want to build deeper connections with businesses,” said Tan.Facebook has recently been actively hiring advertising industry veterans. In Singapore, it recently hired Valerie Cheng and Nick Seckold.Kenneth Bishop, managing director, Southeast Asia, Facebook said the company is now "committed to helping Malaysians and businesses connect in more meaningful ways."This strengthens Facebook's investment in Malaysia and commitment to help connect people with the businesses and moments that matter to them.  According to Facebook, Southeast Asiais the fastest growing region for Facebook, and Malaysia, a mobile first country with 144% mobile penetration rate, is driving this growth.“In Malaysia 94% of people discover products and brands on Facebook and 62% make a purchase after discovery. Our local team in Malaysia will be focused on helping businesses tap into this unprecedented opportunity to connect with today's mobile-first consumers,” said Bishop.Facebook is seeing strong momentum in Malaysia with more than 18 million people on Facebook and 6.5 million people on Instagram. Across Southeast Asia, more than 241 million people use Facebook, 94% via mobile and globally 1.65 billion people now use Facebook each month.Most recently in Southeast Asia Facebook opened its Manila, Philippines office on 20 April 2016.