Koto launches SG hub in SEA push, names APAC growth director

Global creative studio Koto has opened a Singapore studio, appointing Mark Teal (pictured) as growth director, APAC, as it steps up its Southeast Asia expansion.

The Singapore office marks Koto’s seventh globally and its second in Asia Pacific, following its Sydney launch in 2023. It will act as the studio’s Southeast Asia hub as the company looks to deepen its presence in one of the region’s fastest-growing digital markets.

Since entering APAC, Koto has already worked with Singapore-based brands including fintech company Coda and Riot Games’ League of Legends, which the studio pointed to as early proof of the region’s appetite for ambitious brand building.

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Teal joins to lead Koto’s growth strategy across APAC, bringing more than two decades of experience across brand strategy, marketing technology and customer experience. He has held senior roles across Singtel, Standard Chartered and Prudential, and most recently served as CMO at VCCP Singapore as well as in client growth leadership roles at Wunderman Thompson. His earlier career includes stints at Ogilvy & Mather, DigitasLBi, Mezzo Labs and Geometry Global.

“With over 4,000 regional headquarters and over 30 unicorns, a digital economy worth SG$128 billion, Singapore isn’t just a market; it’s where the most ambitious companies make their brand decisions for Southeast Asia,” said Teal.

“These companies need a partner that can handle the full picture - brand, digital experience and campaigns - not just one piece of it. That’s exactly where we sit, and it’s a space very few studios here can confidently claim," he added. 

Damian Borchok, managing director, APAC at Koto, said Singapore was a natural next step for the studio’s regional strategy. “Singapore was always part of the plan as it’s one of the most connected cities in ASEAN and the base from which regional ambitions are built. The brands here are increasingly thinking globally, and they need partners who can match that ambition,” he said.

In tandem, James Greenfield, CEO of Koto, said Singapore had long been part of the studio’s global growth ambitions.

“Koto has always wanted to work with the world’s best brands in the world’s best cities. Singapore has long been one of those cities for us, so opening here is a big moment. Working with brands such as Coda and Riot Games showed us there’s a real energy and ambition here that feels very aligned with Koto. Bringing Mark on board is an important step in building Koto’s long-term presence in the region,” added Greenfield. 

Founded in 2015 by Caroline Matthews, James Greenfield and Jowey Roden, Koto has grown from a three-person London studio into a global team of more than 160 people, with offices in Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York and Sydney.

Its client roster includes Amazon, Google, JP Morgan, Lyft, Meta, Mars, Microsoft, Netflix, Tripadvisor and WhatsApp.

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