Andrew Au steps down as APAC MD at Eight Inc

Design firm Eight Inc's Andrew Au has stepped down from his role as regional managing director, APAC, after close to two years.

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Tim Kobe, founder and CEO of Eight Inc said Au ( was a "well-respected part" of the team. He added that Au's contributions during the past few years and particularly with respect to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic were very much appreciated. "Leadership is a delicate balance and Andrew was able to manage his duties with dedication and grace," Kobe said, adding that the team wishes Au well and look forward to his "ongoing success". Kobe declined to comment on Au's replacement. 

Au first joined Eight Inc in 2019, where he took on the role of executive director of APAC. He reported to Kobe in his role. According to him when he first joined, there are “very few standout companies” such as Eight Inc which is “uniquely positioned” to provide organisations with the right solutions in the “experience economy” consumers are now “truly living in”. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Au for a statement about his departure. 

Prior to Eight Inc, Au took up a consultant role at content platform Vuulr for four months. Au was also the managing director of Southeast Asia and APAC board director at creative agency Imagination for close to four years in 2014. At Imagination, Au was in charge of the Shell account, which his team serviced across Asia Pacific, launching progammes including Make The Future and Shell Eco-marathon. Before that, Au was the managing partner for Fluid, an independent creative agency that got acquired by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2015. 

In 2019, Eight Inc also appointed Chris Dobson as principal to drive its growth across China’s Greater Bay Area. Dobson works closely with Kobe as well to develop new business relationships and partnerships, while growing the team in the firm’s Hong Kong studio. He will also lead multi-disciplinary teams delivering the company’s projects in the region—from vision through to implementation.

Founded in 1989 in the US, Eight Inc currently has 11 studios globally, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Dubai, and Istanbul. The design firm has worked with clients such as Apple, Bentley, Citibank, Coca-Cola, Swatch, United Overseas Bank, and Xiaomi. Eight claims to help transform organisations to be relevant in "highly competitive environments" by looking at the design factors that drive successful human interactions.

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