That’s what Michelle Herman told me not long after I was hired. According to Lou: “Lydia is so serious. You think she can fit in to our culture? At least smile for us?” This was how it began. Lou and Michelle had the privilege of witnessing me in a light blue dress [...]
It’s been quite the thrill for me to watch the activities of Hoffman’s Asia Pacific operation over the years. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a long string of dynamic players — from Lou himself, to Ray Shuster, Michelle Herman, Maureen Tseng, Lydia Lau, Jenny Chan, Shingo Nomura, Kaori Saito, [...]
I didn’t know it at the time, but the Hyundai Electronics press tour in 1994 saw the start of two special relationships in Asia. You’ve already heard from Young Sohn, founder of InComm and our partner in Korea for the early years. The second person was Olive Ting, whose firm Era [...]
This stretch of Tanjong Pagar Road “showcases” our first office in Singapore. It turns out the very same shot appears in Wikipedia. Talk about a startup. In 1996 Hoffman Asia Pacific was a classic — roots spreading from San Jose to Singapore in one fell swoop, without proven leadership (me), little-to-no [...]
We took Lou Hoffman’s word for it 20 years ago when he decided there was opportunity in Asia Pacific for a relatively small, independent, San Jose, California-based public relations consulting firm. Few of us working in the agency at the time had ever been to the region, let alone knew anything [...]
Have you ever felt that some things in life were meant to happen exactly the way they had and that even if you had the power to change the past, you wouldn’t have done it any other way? I’ll bet that many would feel this way about a past love, a [...]
I met Young Sohn for the first time in 1994 during the “infamous” Hyundai Electronics press tour. It’s hard to explain in words, but I felt an instant connection with this man. How can this be? Even today, I’m not quite sure. Here’s what I do know. What started off as [...]
Some celebrities achieve one-name status. Adele. Ronaldo. Kobe. As the Agency’s first staff member hired in Asia Pacific, Maureen Tseng has achieved one-syllable status … “Mo.” Out of all the decisions Ray Schuster, who launched our AP operation, made over his stint in Singapore, I think he’d agree the hiring of [...]
Congratulations to The Hoffman Agency (HA) for 20 years in Asia Pacific. Lou, Ray Schuster and Maureen Tseng had one heck of a vision. It is great to see that their vision has materialized. From the outside, it seems like the company is as strong as ever having reinvented itself as a [...]
