JKR shutters Singapore office

Design agency JKR is shuttering its Singapore office in what it calls a "strategic business decision to focus on China and other markets where our clients need us most".

Global CEO Guy Lambert said the decision was "the right path to take based on the future growth of JKR globally". The news was first reported by Marketing Interactive.

"We are incredibly proud of what the team have achieved over the past seven years," he said in a statement. "They have produced some fantastic work for Tiger Beer, Indonesian fashion startup Sorabel, Asian hospitality destination CE LA VI, as well as creating high net worth insurance brand Opus by Prudential. They have also done a great job of building a voice for creativity in the region, speaking at industry events and contributing viewpoints to the press. We will now be focussing our attention in the region on China and other global markets where our clients need us most.”

JKR first launched its Singapore office seven years ago, and grew its presence in December 2015 when it acquired Singapore-based branding and design agency Glassick Brands. After onboarding Glassick staff, it counted more than 30 people in its Singapore office. But gradually, the foundational Glassick team all left, including cofounder Jason Glassick, who left his role as ECD of JKR in July 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile.

This was followed by the August 2019 departure of Singapore MD Intan Mokhnar. Following this, JKR appointed a trio of staff to run the office, including head of strategy Katie Ewer as strategic lead, creative director Alex Boulware as creative lead and group account director Anjali Vasudevan as client lead. At the time, Lambert said the agency was "redefining" the Singapore offering from a specialist FMCG design agency to a strategic brand consultancy.

The agency had less than 10 staffers when it decided to cut the cord last month. Campaign Asia-Pacific understands that all of those remaining staff have been made redundant.

JKR's Shanghai office is led by partner René Chen. The agency has other offices in London and New York.