Fleishman set to expand regional footprint

Fleishman-Hillard will expand its regional presence in 2009 after recording a strong year of growth which is tipped to hit 40% in Hong Kong by the year's end.Lynne Anne Davis, regional president of the Omnicom-owned agency, said Fleishman-Hillard is currently considering a number of acquisitions and launches around the region, which will include the US mobile marketing company Mobile Behavior.Mobile Behavior, launched in October this year, will have a special focus on the Asia Pacific region and is now looking to recruit an Asia Pacific leader. "It's a very good time expand on a number of fronts," Davis said. "I think 2009 will be a very big year for Fleishman-Hillard in Asia Pacific."John D Graham, chairman of Fleishman-Hillard, said 2008 has been one of the strongest years for new business for the company and China was contributing significantly to this result."Asia is the fastest growing region in the world for us. We're very strong in financial services and healthcare, on top of our tradition consumer PR business."Heading into 2009, Graham was confident new business would continue to roll in, adding that developing countries would be less affected by the economic turmoil. "Things are not getting better, but people will look for a window out of all this."Graham in Hong Kong last week as part of a China tour, was on Friday awarded the President's Award from the International Public Relations Association (IPRA).