From Awareness to Action: Insights for a Greener Built Environment
Considerations for Communications and PR in the Asia Pacific Data Centre Market
Sandpiper Group Announces Launch of Sandpiper Financial, Strengthens Capacity with Advisory and Special Situation Team Hires
August 2025
11 August 2025 – The Sandpiper Group (“Sandpiper”), the largest independent communications, public affairs, and research group with offices and operations across Asia Pacific and the Middle East has announced the launch of Sandpiper Financial, supported by several senior appointments to lead this new division.
Sandpiper Financial, which bolsters Sandpiper’s existing financial services and crisis offering, will focus on financial communications and special situations advisory for its clients, across Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, mainland China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East.
Kainoa Blaisdell joins to lead Sandpiper Financial’s Asia Pacific business. He was previously at FTI Consulting where he was Managing Director of the financial communications and special situations practice. With 15 years of experience working in communications and consulting, Kai has also held senior leadership roles in investment research, financial journalism, and private wealth management across Europe and Asia Pacific. Kai’s expertise in investor relations, M&A, restructuring, alternative investments and shareholder activism will bring critical support to Sandpiper’s current and future client base facing similar complex situations.
Justin Teh is appointed to the position of Deputy Lead, Sandpiper Financial, Asia. Justin also joins from FTI Consulting, where he was a Senior Director. Justin specialises in financial communications, advising on complex, multi-stakeholder transactions across M&As, IPOs, and take-privates, including some of the region’s most high-profile deals in recent years. He also has a strong track record in providing counsel on investor relations programmes for listed companies on multiple exchanges across the Asia region.
Angus Booth, who was recently announced as Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), will also support clients with special situations and financial communications advisory work across these markets. With over 20 years of experience in corporate affairs and investor relations, Angus has held senior roles at major listed and unlisted organisations including Lendlease and Charter Hall, one of Australia’s largest property fund managers. Most recently, Angus was Senior Managing Director at Sodali & Co, leading its APAC and EMEA M&A, activism, and corporate governance and shareholder engagement business with over US$400 billion in deal value, to become the number one M&A and Activism advisory firm in APAC.
Also joining the Sandpiper team as a Senior Advisor is Richard Barton, a 30-year financial communications veteran with extensive experience advising on complex corporate, financial and crisis communications issues across Asia, the UK and Europe. He has acted for listed and private companies, financial and professional services firms, hedge funds and family offices, as well as private equity and venture capital funds and their portfolio companies. In addition, he has worked on IPOs; friendly, hostile and contested M&A; take-privates; activist battles; as well as defaults and debt restructurings, totalling more than US$300 billion.
Supporting the growth and function of Sandpiper Financial is Kim Spear who is an existing member of Sandpiper’s senior leadership team with over 20 years of in-depth market experience in Hong Kong SAR, mainland China, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand, where she has worked on issues and complex situations including leadership transitions, corporate restructuring, and stakeholder engagement.
Emma Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Sandpiper, said: “We are delighted to bring together such talented individuals to join our growing Sandpiper team across our integrated network that spans 13 markets. Each of these individuals has a proven track record of working on some of the most significant transactions across Asia Pacific and globally and we are delighted to add this key capability to our existing services and sector specialisms in financial services, healthcare, technology, property and energy.”
Kainoa Blaisdell, Lead Sandpiper Financial, Asia Pacific, said: “With the launch of Sandpiper Financial, we have assembled a unique team of experts who have advised on some of the most significant and precedent-setting transactions in the region. Backed by this deep bench of experience and Sandpiper’s robust platform of capabilities, we are well positioned to support clients through critical moments of transformation, whether driven by opportunity or uncertainty.”
Alongside significant growth and expansion, over the past 24 months, Sandpiper has been named Global Corporate Agency of the Year by PRovoke, Asia Pacific Agency of the Year by PRovoke, Asia Pacific Agency of the Year by PRWeek, Asia Pacific Agency of the Year by the PRCA, and Asia Pacific Agency of the Year by Public Affairs Asia, as well as Asia Pacific Corporate and Financial Agency of the Year by PRovoke, Asia Pacific ESG and Sustainability Specialist Agency of the Year, and Asia Pacific Specialist Agency of the Year by PRWeek for Sandpiper Research & Insights.
– ENDS –
About Sandpiper
Sandpiper is a pioneering reputation management consultancy headquartered in Asia and operating globally, proudly elevating the region on the world stage. As creators of business value, we are an independent, 100% employee-owned group comprising five specialist divisions: Sandpiper Communications, Sandpiper Financial, Sandpiper Public Affairs, Sandpiper Health, and Sandpiper Research & Insights.
Our core purpose is to help clients build, strengthen, and protect their reputations by directly contributing to their bottom-line business results. We are trusted advisors to industry leaders and market disruptors, combining deep regional market understanding with global perspectives and cutting-edge technology.
Our expertise spans seven specialist sectors characterized by complexity: Energy, Financial Services, Government, Health, Insurance, Professional Services, and Technology. We provide comprehensive end-to-end reputation management services that begin by uncovering critical insights to support global reputation strategies. We then leverage our global network of senior industry specialists to create tailored approaches and finally implement integrated communications with precise channel expertise.
Operating with a single global P&L, we are nimble, innovative, and uniquely positioned to harness new technologies. Our technology-enabled services help clients future-proof their communications, leading industry transformation amid the rise of AI and emerging technologies.
Now in its fourth year, Sandpiper’s annual “Reputation Capital” research, an industry benchmark that measures how global companies, and their C-suite teams are building and protecting their reputations. In 2023, Sandpiper also launched the first ever global industry research report on the impact of AI on the communications industry.
Sandpiper’s team is based across 13 markets in Asia Pacific and the Middle East in Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Perth, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, and Tokyo, and supported by affiliates across 27 markets globally.
Sandpiper has been recognised with multiple awards, including Global Corporate Agency of the Year by PRovoke, and Asia Pacific Regional Agency of the Year by PRovoke, PRWeek, the PRCA, and Public Affairs Asia, as well as ESG and Sustainability Specialist Agency of the Year, Corporate and Financial Agency of the Year, and Specialist Agency of the Year for Sandpiper Research & Insights. We have been ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing agencies in Asia Pacific, the top 15 fastest-growing globally, and one of the top five creative agencies in Asia Pacific.
We continue to set new standards in reputation management, delivering strategic insights that transform communications into a critical business asset.
For more information, please contact:
Emma Smith
CEO
Emma. Smith@sandpipercomms.com
Related news & insights:
