Nikko Asset Management awards digital remit to Huge APAC

After a competitive review, global funds manager Nikko Asset Management (Nikko AM) has chosen IPG design experience agency Huge in APAC to be its strategic partner on digital initiatives globally. 

Effective immediately, Huge has been initially tasked with launching new site experiences in Singapore and Hong Kong, with the first work slated for launch in the second half of the year. The brand and agency are planning further regional rollouts in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, New Zealand and the Americas over the course of the next 10 months.

The Tokyo-based asset manager employs over 900 people in 11 countries around the world with $284.4 billion under management. In partnering with Huge, its aim is to give its investor clients a better digital experience across all financial products and services.  

Stefanie Drews, Nikko Asset Management

“At Nikko AM, we embrace digital as our core business strategy and invest in technology to better support our clients,” said Stefanie Drews, the asset manager’s senior corporate officer. “Huge APAC is up to the task with their unparalleled ability to deliver on future-forward design while also understanding what it means to be a global citizen, underpinned with Asian DNA.”

New creative director

The fresh mandate out of Japan coincides with the recent appointment of Raphael Barreto as the new creative director of Huge Tokyo. Barreto previously worked as a senior product designer in Brazil, with stints at Accenture Interactive and Tropikal. Barreto also ran a design studio that focused on startups in Brazil and abroad.

“I’m thrilled to build a team of internationally-minded designers at Huge Tokyo," Barreto said. "The country is undergoing a strong digital transformation that is being further accentuated by the pandemic, and it will be great to get our team to create innovative user-centric experiences for brands here. Our work with Nikko AM is the starting point for a new era of design with people and digital experiences at the forefront.”

Raphael Barreto, Huge Tokyo