New voice for Asian youths
- “Our hope is to build a bridge from East to West so that Asian youth in Australia see themselves reflected in global media stories,” said Keshia Hannam, Editor-in-chief of Eastern Standard Times (EST).
- 500-backed EST Media launched Eastern Standard Times (EST) in Australia – a new global media platform that boasts an all-Asian editorial team based in Sydney, Los Angeles, and New York, with production teams spread across Australia and Asia.
- The goal? To challenge and celebrate narratives about Asian people and culture, and foster a borderless community for Asian youth around the world.
- “When it comes to reporting on stories about Asia in Australia, it’s important that they are told by people who have lived them and that starts by shaking up what newsrooms look like, and what qualifies as a ‘good’ story pitch,” shared Keshia.
- “For too long, the West has dominated the media narrative,” commented EST Co-founder & Chairman Jaeson Ma. “Asian excellence in storytelling and content production has always existed. Now it’s time that it’s given a global stage.”
- Get the full story here.
Let’s high five on this
- Staying true to their ESG promise, 500-backed super app Grab announced a new leadership team for GrabAds to strengthen the company’s advertising capabilities as well as its technology, product, marketing, partnership, and operational capabilities.
- Need a quick recap? Last month, Grab announced that it is working towards increasing the percentage of women on its leadership bench to 40% by 2030, up from 34% currently.
- The new appointments include:
- Jennie Johnson, Head of Marketing for GrabAds
- Kaia Lai, Head of Product for Search and Personalization Technology
- Christina Lin Product Marketing Lead for Ads and Personalization Technology
- Kareen Mendoza, Regional Financial Services Partnership Lead
- Yi Ling Wong, Head of Sales Operations
- “I’m thrilled to welcome these leaders, who will be instrumental in furthering the GrabAds mission: helping merchants and advertisers build their brand while driving real-world sales impact using Southeast Asia’s leading super app,” said Ken Mandel, Regional Managing Director and Head of GrabAds and Brand Insights.
- Read the full announcement here.
Transcending borders & culture
- Bravissimo! To connect deeper with their strong Italian community, 500-backed sustainability platform abillion launched the Italian version of its app!
- Since the company’s launch in 2018, Italian users have contributed over half a million reviews of vegan food and products!
- With abillion pledging US$1 for every review posted, over US$600,000 worth of donations have gone on to benefit its non-profit partners, including two of their largest beneficiaries in Italy: wildlife rescue center Rifugio Miletta, and animal sanctuary Santuario Capra Libera Tutti.
- abillion aims to further localize its app for other countries, and roll out features like ‘marketplace’ in more communities.
- Read the full announcement here.
