Ellerton & Co. has launched a European practice based in Switzerland, extending the agency’s strategic communications and integrated marketing operations across the region. The move formalises the agency’s growing work supporting European brands entering Asian markets and Asian companies expanding into Europe.
The new practice will be led by Gloria Montgomery, who joins the agency as europe lead. The practice will focus on strategic communications, media engagement, public affairs and integrated marketing, while working closely with the agency’s Singapore headquarters and teams across Southeast Asia and India.
According to the agency, the expansion reflects increasing demand from European businesses seeking market entry support across Southeast Asia and India. The agency said many brands entering the region require localised messaging, market-specific communications support and guidance navigating fragmented media environments across countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
At the same time, Asian companies expanding into Europe face challenges related to regional media diversity, regulation and stakeholder engagement, creating demand for senior communications counsel with local market understanding.
The European practice is designed to support both market-entry directions while also assisting European companies building domestic and regional brand visibility. Switzerland will serve as the operational base for the practice and already accounts for a significant portion of the agency’s client base.
The expansion mirrors the agency’s Japan business model, where approximately one in five clients are Japanese companies. Ellerton & Co. said it works with in-market partners to localise content and communications strategies across wider Asian markets, with the European business expected to follow a similar trajectory.
The launch follows several recent developments at the agency, including the elevation of founder Oliver Ellerton to managing partner, the promotion of Michael de Waal-Montgomery and Prayaank Gupta to partners, and the agency joining the GlobalCom PR Network as its exclusive Southeast Asia representative.
Before joining Ellerton & Co., Montgomery worked across public affairs, human rights and strategic communications. Her experience includes work with the United Nations and Amnesty International, focusing on government and stakeholder engagement in international policy environments. Earlier roles included positions at The Information Lab and training programmes for PwC.
Ellerton said: “Most of our European clients tell us the same thing — they see the Asian growth opportunity clearly, but they don’t have a marketing team in Singapore or Jakarta, let alone in Hanoi or Manila. They need a partner who can be their team on the ground: localising messaging, working in their time zones, and helping them earn credibility in markets that don’t reward generic playbooks. Switzerland is the right place to anchor that practice. It’s where a meaningful share of our clients already sit, and it gives us the right footing for the rest of Europe. Gloria has the calibre to lead this chapter.”
Montgomery added: “Expanding into new markets today is not just a commercial exercise - it requires navigating complex media, policy and stakeholder environments at the same time. That’s what Ellerton & Co. has been doing for years. The European practice builds on that: helping Asian clients build profiles across Europe’s diverse media and policy environments, and supporting European clients with the strategic communications, media engagement, and public affairs work that makes brands credible at home and abroad.”
Gupta said: “Eighty-eight percent of our briefs are now multi-market, and a growing share across hemispheres. Our Japan business has shown what’s possible when you combine senior in-region presence with strong in-market partnerships — roughly one in five of our clients are Japanese, and we work hand-in-glove with local partners to localise content for the wider Asia region. We expect the same dynamic to play out in Europe, with Switzerland as the anchor.”
The European practice will cover corporate positioning, executive visibility, crisis preparedness, earned media, editorial campaigns, policy engagement, advocacy programmes, digital campaigns and go-to-market communications support across European and Asian markets.
The expansion follows a growth year for the agency in which it more than doubled revenue, entered India, launched Ellerton Creative Studio and secured mandates including EHL Hospitality Business School, VFS Global and Ethiopian Airlines.
