Decision intelligence platform Prophet expands into SEA with Singapore hire

Australian decision intelligence platform Prophet is expanding into Southeast Asia, appointing Kylan Tang (pictured) as its first Singapore-based hire as it looks to grow its presence across the region.

According to Prophet, the expansion follows 644% business growth over the past 12 months, alongside a new enterprise partnership with an unnamed global consumer brand spanning three markets in Asia Pacific.

Tang joins Prophet to lead customer onboarding across the region, reporting to Rachel Scott, head of decision science at Prophet. Based in Singapore, he will work with customers operating across multiple markets from contract signing through to the development of their first decision-ready model.

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He will also serve as a local point of coordination between regional customers and Prophet's data science, platform and customer success teams in Melbourne, while developing onboarding playbooks for customers across APAC.

Tang brings more than 12 years of experience across media agencies, adtech and platform businesses in Southeast Asia. He joins from OMD, where he led digital media operations across six markets.

Prior to OMD, Tang spent six years at Innovid, where he helped build its APAC client services and operations function and supported clients across 13 markets, including Microsoft, McDonald's, Tiffany & Co. and P&G.

Prophet's platform is designed to help organisations model and test potential commercial decisions before investments are made. The company currently works with more than 40 brands, including BYD, MYOB, KitchenAid, Rest Super, TAL, Drummond Golf, Intrepid Travel, Picklebet and Suzuki.

Commenting on the expansion, Jordan Taylor-Bartels, CEO and co-founder of Prophet, said brands across APAC are increasingly being asked to demonstrate what investments will return before budgets are committed, rather than only measuring their impact afterwards.

"Our growth this year, and a partnership of this scale across several APAC markets, signals growing demand for Prophet across the region. Tang's appointment means we can meet it on the ground, with someone who knows how marketing works in these markets from the inside," he added.

Meanwhile, Scott said Tang's experience working across multiple markets would become increasingly important as Prophet takes on larger regional customers.

"The first model a customer sees sets the tone for the whole relationship. It has to be something a CMO can take to their CFO and stand behind, and that only happens when the groundwork is done properly from day one," she said.

"Tang has spent more than a decade making advertising technology work for some of the world's biggest brands across a dozen markets at once, often building solutions where nothing off the shelf existed. As our customers get bigger and more regional, that's exactly the experience our onboarding needs," Scott added.

Tang said his experience working with brands across markets that behave differently has shown him that regional growth requires local understanding.

"As Prophet's first APAC hire, I'm excited to help shape our go-to-market approach and build the relationships that will underpin our growth across the region," he said.

"What drew me to Prophet is the opportunity to influence decisions before the money is spent. That's a compelling proposition for business leaders across APAC: the ability to test their options and walk into the boardroom with greater confidence in where to invest," Tang added.

Prophet's move follows other Australia-founded businesses that have looked to Singapore as a base for expanding their presence and serving clients across APAC. Last year, Australian PR and communications agency LaunchLink Communications established an office in Singapore as part of its wider APAC expansion. The Singapore office was positioned as a regional hub for local and international clients, providing on-the-ground support in the market.

Through the hub, LaunchLink offers services including strategic communications, executive positioning, media training, market entry support, product launches and cross-border campaigns.

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