Beijing, September 12, 2007 - Esmond K.L Quek, Chief Executive of Hill & Knowlton China - a WPP company, won the 2007 International Stevie Award for  "Best Executive in Asia" (China, Japan, Korea).  The International Business Awards, touted as the business world's Oscars, is the only global, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in business.  The winners are top professionals selected from over 1,000 nominations received from over 30 countries.  There are no other awards which come close to capturing the international scope of this program. 

Esmond has elevated the standard of what it's like to be a professional in Asia.  He has over 20 years of working experience at various top-level communications companies, which gives him an all around perspective of communication.  He has also held management positions at British American Tobacco, and ABN AMRO Asset Management.  His geographic experience spans beyond his home land of Singapore, where he started after graduating with a degree in Marketing and Advertising from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.  After conquering the Singapore market, he spent five years chalking up experience in the Asia Pacific region, and has been dealing with the China market for the last ten years.

Esmond's most apparent contribution to date is at Hill and Knowlton, China, where he accepted the position as Chief Executive, slightly over three years ago.  In that time, the agency has evolved from a 45 person operation in Beijing and Shanghai, to a network of over 150 professionals in three offices; experiencing a 200% growth in revenue and about three fold increase in profit.  "Esmond is able to bring not just communication experience but also his extensive China management perspective to the table.  The clients love it that he can provide counsel at that level", says Vivian Lines, President and COO of Hill and Knowlton Asia Pacific.

In the last three years since Esmond has been with the company, H&K China was named "China's Best Agency in 2005" by Communications Monthly, was recognized as one of the top 5 "Most Influential PR Agencies in China" by the Media Today Publishing Group, was voted "Best Communication Organization" by the International Business Association in 2005 and was named "Consultancy of the Year 2006" by the Asia Pacific PR Awards.  During that time, Hill and Knowlton China was also appointed by the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) to be their PR partner.  Such awards cannot come without the recognition of its clients.  When asked to comment, Chris Hassall, VP External Relations at Procter and Gamble Greater China, sums it best, "Esmond is a great simplifier.  He is able to distill the complexities of any situation and get the team to focus on the issues that drive impact.  His China experience means he is an advisor not just in communication elements but also a trusted management partner."Esmond's win of this award also signifies the coming of age of the PR industry in China.  His recognition underlines the growing importance and contribution that PR makes to the mounting complexities of corporate issues.  Esmond is widely known in the industry for instilling a brand management style of public relations, where every action driven by PR is measured against the impact on the client's brand activities and business objectives--"It's about doing PR in a way that contributes to the total value of the brand, be it a product or a corporation, and in turn, translating that value into real business impact." 

"The biggest constraint to growth is the availability of talent", laments Esmond when asked about the expected growth of the business.  He would know best since he pioneered an ambitious PR Associate program not long after assuming the CEO position.  The program aims at attracting best talent from the top universities in China, and provides short-listed candidates with one-year of robust training.  Esmond also holds a position as a Research Fellow at the world renowned Fudan University, where he participates in a curriculum advisory role.  "Esmond has a passion for developing talent.  This is key to any management role in a fast growing economy like China, especially in a professional service firm such as ours" commented James Heimowitz, President of North Asia, when asked about Esmond’s key success factor. 

Beyond being a thought leader in the brand management and PR world, Esmond has spoken out on the issue of 'Clean Technology Leadership in China', aimed at creating awareness and action amongst business leaders in China. He is also active on the speaking circuit where he spoke at the U Penn's Wharton School of Business' China Business Forum.

When asked about "what next" after winning this award, Esmond was quick to say "improve on my (golf) handicap and my (basketball) jump shots." Not surprising coming from him, one of Esmond's strategic imperatives (and one he drives with his team) is to "have fun." Quite evident if you take a walk around his office, staffed with smiling faces,one is immediately hit with a sense of purposeful dynamism.  We wish Esmond the best – especially in lowering his teen handicap.