Hakuhodo DY Holdings Japan creates new strategic operating unit + acquires US companies

Hakuhodo DY Holdings Japan has created a new strategic operating unit, kyu, to ensure continuous enhancement of specialization and innovation in the Hakuhodo DY group, something that has been identified as one of three growth drivers in the group’s new medium-term business plan. The new unit has acquired a 100% interest in US-based companies SYPartners and Red Peak Group.

Digitalization and globalization have made marketing as a profession more complex and sophisticated–spurring innovation in both methods and approaches. To respond to these changes, the Hakuhodo DY Group has put forward the acquisition of leading service companies that offer advanced marketing methods and solutions. The new unit, kyu, will have the task of continuously enhancing expertise, specialization and innovation in the group and driving the Group’s growth by conducting M&A principally in North America and Europe – markets that have over time produced many unique and advanced firms – as well as major Asian markets.

kyu, which will take the form of a strategic operating unit, will be positioned parallel to the Hakuhodo DY Group’s three advertising operating companies (Hakuhodo Group, Daiko Group and Yomiko Group) and integrated media company (Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Group). In addition to managing and controlling the specialized marketing service companies under its umbrella, kyu will be charged with nurturing each company’s management talent, developing their capabilities, and supporting and promoting innovation through collaboration and cooperation.

The post of CEO of kyu will be formally filled by Michael Birkin in July. Birkin (pictured) will also assume the office of Senior Executive Corporate Officer of Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc.

Established in the United States in 1994, SYPartners is a firm with studios in San Francisco and New York. SYPartners Consulting has a 20-year track record of working with leaders of some of the world’s most influential companies. The firm helps CEOs and senior management build great companies by focusing on vision and strategy; culture building; and customer experiences. SYPartners has in recent years introduced SY Products – a division of SY Partners that is dedicated to creating products and services from the company’s intellectual capital. Teamworks and Unstuck are the first two services released under SY Products.

Red Peak Group is a specialized marketing services company established by Birkin in the US in 2009. The company currently has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Rio de Janeiro and Taipei, and operates through the brands Red Peak Branding and RPMC. Red Peak Branding, which has high-level specialist expertise in the areas of design and branding, offers integrated consultation on brand strategy development; research; and naming, packaging and advertising production. RPMC offers a wide range of advanced experiential services in the world

of sports and music. The firm is a global leader in sponsorship support, hospitality programs and a variety of other promotional services.