Phar Partnership appoints MD for Asia

An industry veteran in sports and entertainment marketing with more than 15 years of experience, Bhatia will be working out of Phar Partnerships' Singapore head office.

“Prem’s vast experience [and] ability to grow businesses and teams across geographies makes him ideally positioned to lead Phar’s efforts in Asia,” said Marcus Wight, CEO of Phar Partnerships.

Bhatia has worked in the fields of television rights, talent management, sponsorship, event creation and technology sales, and has managed talent like Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

He is also the chairman of Sports Media Limited, which is involved in the end-to-end commercial activities of the Bangalore Metro.

“The basic tenet of building brand salience through sponsorship is now applicable in areas outside of sports and entertainment—and we are seeing some serious momentum in areas like tourism and transport,” Bhatia said.

Phar Partnerships was founded in January 2011 by Wight and managing director Nick Lockwood to create marketing and business partnerships. It has offices in London, Singapore, Kuala Lumpar, Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila. Its chairman is Tony Fernandes, the founder of AirAsia and owner of QPR and Caterham F1.