Japan’s Opt acquires 90% stake in Catcha Digital Asia

• Former Apple Asia Pacific head of online marketing Mitsuru Kikunaga to take on CEO role
• Opt to provide CDA with its solutions across display media, social media, and data and search advertising

LEADING Japanese e-marketing company Opt Inc announced that it has acquired Catcha Digital Asia Pte Ltd (CDA), one of South-East Asia’s leading digital media networks, from Catcha Group Pte Ltd.
 
Former Apple Asia-Pacific head of online marketing, Mitsuru Kikunaga, currently Opt’s Asia Pacific business general manager, will take on the role of CDA chief executive officer, Opt said in a statement.
 
Financial terms were not disclosed.
 
Opt, which has operations in Japan, Korea and China and a head count of 1,261 employees, is listed on the Japan Securities Exchange (Jasdaq) and generates revenue of ¥78.9 billion (US$825 million) annually.
 
Its decision to acquire 90% of CDA is designed to strengthen its position across Asia and enable CDA to become the one-stop digital solution to meet the requirements of its clients in the Asean region, including those of Japanese companies that want to advance into the region’s rapid growth markets, Opt said.
 
Kikunaga has extensive business experience in the Asia Pacific region, including with Dell, and is well placed to take advantage of the opportunities available in this emerging market, the company said.
 
Opt has determined that Asean is an important market for its overseas expansion “and will aggressively invest the resources of the company in the region,” Kikunaga said.
 
“We are targeting to generate ¥10 billion (US$105 million) in revenue through our overseas businesses by 2020,” he added.
 
As part of this strategy, Opt will be dispatching specialists in performance-based advertising such as Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Display Advertising to South-East Asia; both are fields in which Opt claims to be a market leader in Japan.
 
Additionally, Opt will be looking to augment CDA’s current ad network business and introduce Opt’s capabilities to CDA, including providing access to Opt’s management and solutions across display media, social media, and data and search advertising.
 
As part of the terms of the acquisition, Catcha Group will retain a 10% stake in CDA, which is headquartered in Singapore and with offices in Indonesia and Malaysia.
 
CDA was established by Catcha Group in 2009 and represents numerous internationally recognized online media brands across 13 countries.
 
“Interest in CDA by an international media player of Opt’s caliber is testament to Catcha Group’s ability to create and develop value in fast-growing digital companies in the Asean region,” said Catcha Group chief executive officer Patrick Grove (pic).
 
Catcha Group has its headquarters in Malaysia, with offices in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Its affiliated companies include iProperty Group Ltd, iCar Asia Limited, Catcha Media Berhad, Dealmates.com  and Haute Avenue.
 
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