Andrew Crombie joins FITCH as regional chief executive officer of South East and North Asia

Retail and brand consultancy FITCH has appointed Andrew Crombie’s to the role of Regional CEO, South East and North Asia. Crombie (pictured left) will lead business growth across the region from the consultancy’s Singapore hub. Reporting into Worldwide CEO Simon Bolton, he will work closely with China General Manager Nikki Lin to expand opportunities in that market.

Crombie takes over from Ian Bellhouse, who is moving on to a new venture. UK born and Australia-­‐raised Crombie has spent the last 25 years working in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia in regional and global roles for agencies including Batey Ads, Ogilvy, FCB and Havas.

He began his career in Australia and has wide-­‐ranging brand consultancy and marketing experience, working for brands including Dell, Qantas, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche, Guinness, Carlsberg, Hennessy, TAGHeuer, Dunhill, Banyan Tree Resorts, VISA GOLD, American Express, IBM and Standard Chartered Bank. Most recently, he has been Managing Director and partner at healthcare agency H&T Asia.

FITCH Worldwide CEO Simon Bolton says, “Andrew’s brief is to make FITCH famous in this  egion and he’s the person to do that. I know no one that thinks about the customer journey more, and he will bring this expertise to FITCH along with his extensive understanding of the diversity and rich potential for retail and experience design within South East and North Asia.

He continues, “Andrew’s many successful years on both agency and client side give him a broad understanding of customers and brands in the region. I see FITCH taking significant new steps under Andrew’s energetic and entrepreneurial leadership.”

Crombie said, “It’s great to be joining FITCH at this time of profound change in how consumers

are engaging with brands. Their demands to learn about and experience brands beyond the product or service itself have driven a shift in our industry that traditional agencies are ill equipped to deal with.”

Crombie adds, “Asia is poised to be at the forefront of innovation in retail and brand experience, and FITCH is the one to deliver it. I believe my skills in brand strategy and passion for architecture and design, matched with the vast talent within FITCH in Asia, will help us make FITCH an icon of the new brand world as it deserves to be.”