Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Publications
Personal Information
Timeline
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Malcolm Robertson

Summary

I am a senior strategic communications professional and C-Suite advisor with expertise spanning strategic corporate communications, financial communications, issues & crisis management, and wider stakeholder engagement. For more than 18 years I have been working for international strategic communications consultancies in London and Asia. Since moving to Singapore in 2015, I have developed and led communications strategies for multinational and Asian clients across Asia-Pacific and the US, including for several family offices (including AJ Capital and Lotus Capital), PE firms and sovereign wealth funds. I am highly experienced in issues and crisis management and have advised on some of Southeast Asia's most high profile crisis situations, disputes, and transactions.

I am an experienced team builder and people manager who believes in empower people to reach their full potential. I have a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and regularly contribute opinion articles to regional publications, including the Singapore Business Times.

Overview

21
21
years of professional experience
10
10
years of post-secondary education

Work History

Director, Head of Singapore

Portland Communications
01.2024 - Current
  • Heading the Portland Communications team in Singapore and leading client servicing and new business ordination. Notable clients include CEO positioning for an Indonesian telecoms company, international strategic communications advise for a Vietnamese bank, media relations and issues management for a US technology company and reputation management for a Middle Eastern sovereign fund.

Managing Director, Singapore Office

Teneo & Tulchan
06.2022 - 08.2023
  • Provided strategic communications, IR and CEO positioning advice and execution for clients including spanning the financial services, industrials, retail and energy sectors and based across Indonesian, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Managing Director, Singapore Office

Finsbury Glover Hering
01.2022 - 06.2022
  • Company Overview: now FGS Global
  • Provided international media relations and strategic communications advice and execution during the IPO of GoTo on IDX in 2022.

Managing Director, Strategic Communications

FTI Consulting
01.2015 - 01.2022
  • Advised Mitsui & Co On its international corporate repositioning around its new strategic plan and commitment to sustainability
  • Advised Ooredoo Group and Indosat Ooredoo on external (media and investor) and employee communications during the USD6 billion merger of the Indonesian mobile company with Hutchison 3 Indonesia, in 2021
  • Advised Tenaga Nasional, the Malaysian electric utility, on the development of external and internal stakeholder messaging and engagement plans during the reorganisation of their generation, network, and retail businesses through two secondments to their Kuala Lumpur HQ (2016 and 2018)
  • Advised Axiata, the Malaysian mobile phone operator, on its communications strategy in relation to on-going quarterly losses and write-downs from its Indian associate company, Idea Cellular, ahead of its planned merger with Vodafone-India
  • Conducted an investor perception audit and drafted an audit report for Medco Energie in Indonesia.

Director, Financial and Corporate Communications

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
01.2010 - 01.2015
  • Provided corporate communications and financial communications services to private and public companies in the UK and across Europe.

Head of Research; Minority Shareholder and Member of Leadership Team

VB/Research
01.2006 - 01.2010
  • Helped to establish an online, subscription-based data and business development service for the VC and PE industry.
  • Company sold in 2011


Post-doctoral Research Associate, Microbiology Unit

Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford
01.2004 - 01.2005

Education

Ph.D. - Biochemistry

Wadham College, University of Oxford
Oxford
04.2000 - 10.2004

BSc (Hons) - Biochemistry

Imperial College, University of London
01.1996 - 01.1999

3 A Levels - Biology, Chemistry and Maths

Forest Hill School
Lewisham, London
01.1994 - 01.1997

Skills

Problem-solving

Project management

Team management

Issues management

Media relations and CEO profiling

Publications

  • Here’s a playbook for handling corporate fraud, Business Times, 10/21
  • Malaysian companies need start talking about liquidity, The Sun Daily, 10/12
  • We need to talk about liquidity, Business Times, 09/16
  • Why Singapore is ASEAN’s sandbox for innovation, EDB, 08/14
  • As Singapore sees more seniors, start-ups can step in, Tech in Asia, 04/20
  • For Singapore’s companies, communication is key, Business Times, 04/15

Personal Information

  • Date of Birth: 01/16/78
  • Nationality: British

Timeline

Director, Head of Singapore

Portland Communications
01.2024 - Current

Managing Director, Singapore Office

Teneo & Tulchan
06.2022 - 08.2023

Managing Director, Singapore Office

Finsbury Glover Hering
01.2022 - 06.2022

Managing Director, Strategic Communications

FTI Consulting
01.2015 - 01.2022

Director, Financial and Corporate Communications

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
01.2010 - 01.2015

Head of Research; Minority Shareholder and Member of Leadership Team

VB/Research
01.2006 - 01.2010

Post-doctoral Research Associate, Microbiology Unit

Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford
01.2004 - 01.2005

Ph.D. - Biochemistry

Wadham College, University of Oxford
04.2000 - 10.2004

BSc (Hons) - Biochemistry

Imperial College, University of London
01.1996 - 01.1999

3 A Levels - Biology, Chemistry and Maths

Forest Hill School
01.1994 - 01.1997
Malcolm Robertson