Hume Brophy names former WE Comms' SVP Carolyn Camoens Asia MD

Hume Brophy, a global communications firm specialising in PR, public affairs, investor relations, and corporate and financial communications, has appointed Carolyn Camoens as managing director Asia. Camoens has taken responsibility for Hume Brophy’s operations in the region and will report directly to global CEO, Conall McDevitt.She joins from WE Communications, where she held the role of senior VP of Southeast Asia. She was with the company for over eight years and was based out of Singapore. In her eight years, she also held roles such as regional VP of Southeast Asia, Singapore GM and Deputy General Manager & Digital Lead (Singapore).In a statement to the press, the agency said Camoens brings significant regional experience, coupled with expertise in integrated communications strategy. She is a trusted advisor to major international brands and public sector organisations. Camoens’ track record in growing markets will be applied to Hume Brophy’s expansion strategy for the region.Conall McDevitt said: “Camoen’s appointment is a strong statement of intent to continue building an international, independent communications and corporate affairs firm globally and particularly in Asia. Bringing her into the Hume Brophy strengthens our offering across two of the world’s biggest capital markets – and gives us strong regional leadership experience which she will use to drive our business forward.Camoens added, “Hume Brophy’s strength in providing solid, strategic counsel on matters that go to the heart of business success is what attracted me to the organisation. Our ability to navigate complex issues against the backdrop of dynamic social, economic and regulatory landscapes has helped our clients manage their reputation in Asia. I look forward to building on this to growing our presence here.”Hume Brophy has a growing offering in the region with a strong portfolio of clients in the Financial Services, Technology, and Transport sectors. It claims that over the past year, the business has more than doubled in size, driven by significant new mandates and the integration of the Hong Kong team following a successful acquisition in November 2017.In a separate interview with Marketing, McDevitt said the agency is "very keen" to build out its businesses in Singapore and Hong Kong, and that it is part of its DNA to be international and to tackle consulting from a borderless perspective."We will be building partnerships across the region without a shadow of doubt. If the time is right and if the opportunity is there, we will look at further acquisitions in the region," he said. McDevitt added that the agency will grow its PR, government relations, investor relations, financial service, technology and healthcare sectors, as well as spread its influence and operations beyond the hub here in Singapore.He explained that the strategy for its Singapore expansion was to be borderless and integrated. The reason Hume Brophy expanded into Singapore was because one of its major clients requested the agency to. "They were moving a team here to set up a Southeast Asia hub and they asked us to come and be a part of that," McDevitt explained. He added:Asia will be the place to watch in terms of media, media relations and marketing communications.Meanwhile, McDevitt believes that public limited company-owned (PLC) networks "have had their days", adding that the PLC model in this industry is "difficult to justify"."Many of the big network agencies are now run by accountants. So I think we are heading into a period where independents will grow and become more important in the PR, investor relations, and government relations sectors here in Asia," he said.(Read also: Hume Brophy names Singapore director)