CAREERS: Bates staff learns strategy at school

<p>HONG KONG: Bates Asia has set up Strategy School for senior </p><p>executives across the region in a drive to boost the agency's overall </p><p>strategic and creative abilities. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The move follows an initiative last year, when Bates encouraged staffers </p><p>to take up a distance learning programme on internet marketing offered </p><p>by the University of British Columbia. That effort was intended to </p><p>expand web marketing expertise across the network rather than </p><p>concentrate it within a single division. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Strategy School, which contains training courses developed by the </p><p>agency, attempts to provide executives with a big-picture view of </p><p>marketing communications, which now needs to take into account a </p><p>fragmented media landscape, a more empowered and sophisticated consumer </p><p>and the increasing importance of integration in campaigns. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The move is being backed up by the hiring of high-level strategic </p><p>planners in Hong Kong and Singapore. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The most recent hire was Josephine Tsai who was appointed Taiwan </p><p>strategic planning manager - a newly-created position. That appointment </p><p>was a long time in coming, the agency said, because the number of people </p><p>capable of thinking in strategic terms is few and far between. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, Bates' programme involves four off-site training workshops </p><p>each held in a different location. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The first multinational group of 25 Bates executives - who were </p><p>hand-picked based on their potential - recently returned from a workshop </p><p>in Bali. All are scheduled to complete the series of courses by </p><p>December. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Bates Asia regional president, Jeffrey Yu, said: "A creative agency is </p><p>only as creative as its people. Strategy School aims to hothouse our </p><p>best talent, enhance Bates' regional network, encourage new ways of </p><p>thinking and foster client relationships." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Bates Asia regional planning director, Ayesha Walawalkar, added: "The </p><p>course brings together some of Bates Asia's brightest young talents from </p><p>different cultures and backgrounds, creating an atmosphere that allows </p><p>true networking and team bonding." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The first contingent of students have come from Bates' offices in Hong </p><p>Kong, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, the </p><p>Philippines and IndoChina. When they return to their home office, they </p><p>have to pass on what they have learned to their account service </p><p>teams. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"In this way, Bates Asia's entire regional creative and account </p><p>servicing network of more than 1,000 people will benefit from the </p><p>agency's investment in training," Walawalkar said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>