Baldwin Boyle Group (BBG) has launched an office in Jakarta, its sixth office in APAC. The firm already has a presence in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and China.
Kylie Taylor (pictured above), group managing director, says that Indonesia was not a "new market" for the agency, and it has worked with clients there for many years through management out of Singapore, putting teams on-the-ground in Jakarta, and working with local partners.
"Now, we have clients making major investments in the market so there is a stronger need to be on-the-ground more permanently," she says. "We also see increasing trade links between some of our markets and Indonesia, there is a good synergy with some of our Australian and New Zealand clients in food and agriculture, and tertiary education."
Taylor adds that the agency is seeing more Indonesian companies looking to raise their profile regionally and internationally. "It's the region's most populous country, with a very young population, and we are seeing what you would expect to see from a market with a rising and young middle class—emerging environmental, economic and social issues, fuelled by disruption and rapid digital adoption. It's an issues-rich and vibrant market, full of innovation and start-ups," she says.
The firm has appointed a managing director who will bring senior strategic capabilities to the business, with experience in focus industry sectors and a deep understanding of the business landscape. An official announcement about this leadership will be made in the new year.
On the number of staff in Indonesia, a spokesperson said: "We are already working on a significant programme of work in Indonesia for one of our clients which means we need to quickly put a strong team in place from day one. Instead of working towards a fixed number of people, our focus is on building the right senior skillset who can deliver high-level advisory to grow our client base."
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