Lifestyle Asia Swedes in new, pivotal Burda Digital role

Burda International Asia, a subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media, has announced new, far-reaching changes that “will place the company at the forefront of the region’s publishing industry.” The international technology and media company are making these changes in response to the changing needs of readers and advertisers, therefore introducing a new structure that reorganises the business into three distinct units: Digital, Print and Services.

Fr. left: Richard Nilsson, CEO Sven Friedrichs, Christopher Lindvall.

The Digital business unit will be responsible for Burda’s digital publications, including luxury content platforms Lifestyle Asia, PrestigeOnline, Pin Prestige, August Man and Hello! Thailand. Lifestyle Asia’s co-founders, Christopher Lindvall and Richard Nilsson have been appointed as key members for Digital and will act as Digital Managing Directors for Hong Kong and Thailand, and Singapore and Malaysia.

The Print business will continue to oversee the group’s luxury print publications. In addition, the Services unit will be renamed to Augment and endeavour to increase the product offerings within content marketing, custom publishing, event planning and an array of digital marketing services.

Burda International will be making a significant investment to expand its business units across the region, bolstering its workforce to offer innovative luxury content solutions. The Digital business unit is the first of the three units to be aggressively launched in the coming months, with 38 new hires planned across the region.

In their new roles, Lindvall and Nilsson will draw upon more than a decade of experience in online publishing to steer the Digital business towards growth.

Formerly Lifestyle Asia’s Editor in Chief, Michael Alan Connelly and Managing Editor Luann Alphonso, will be appointed Heads of Digital Content for the region. Tony Cheong is appointed the new Head of Digital Sales for Hong Kong and Thailand, and Chris Ng is announced as Head of Digital Sales for Singapore and Malaysia.

“Our mission is to be the first in luxury. We connect affluent consumers with luxury brands and services, through targeted content solutions. We believe to support this mission, we must redefine ourselves, from a traditional publisher, to a content company,” CEO Sven Friedrichs announced recently to key executives at the BurdaTomorrow conference held in Bangkok on March 6th 2018.

“We’re thrilled about Burda making such a significant investment into the Digital unit and sharing our vision for the future of the business,” said Christopher Lindvall, Digital Managing Director for Hong Kong and Thailand. “We can’t wait to launch new brands and products, while offering our clients strong social media offerings.

The new structure of the Digital business will enable growth strategies and improve product development. To ensure a cutting-edge digital portfolio, Burdahas recently signed a contract with American agency Wondersauce, which specialises in creating best-in-class content experiences for the modern consumer. Past clients of Wondersauce include GQ and specialised watch site Hodinkee.

“We’re excited to work with renowned developer and agency Wondersauce, not only as our platform builder but as our product advisor moving forward. Our ambition is not only to enhance the existing portfolio of digital brands, but also to launch new brands, expand into new markets and launch products in the social media and transactional space. Still, our core focus will remain on working in the luxury and lifestyle space,” said Richard Nilsson, Digital Managing Director for Singapore and Malaysia.

Hubert Burda Media, headquartered in Munich, has over 540 brands and products that are oriented to the needs of consumers.

See also: The Lifestyle Asia journey: ten years and still evolving

About Joakim Persson

Freelance business and lifestyle photojournalist

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