He moved from London to build an adtech company in Asia. His marketing advice for your startup

Never underestimate the call of adventure – that’s something I quickly learned while speaking to Rohan Philips, vice president of products and strategy at Xaxis. Rohan has had a pioneering role with the marketing company, helping set up 13 offices since he joined Xaxis in 2012. He’s also part of the founding team of three that helped expand Xaxis into the Asia-Pacific region, where it now has over 250 employees.

Xaxis specializes in programmatic marketing – using software to advertise digitally and purchase ads.

Perhaps it’s that intrepid mindset that led him from digital public relations and management in London to Singapore, a move that for him was a no brainer. There was a lot of opportunity in the region.

When he arrived in Singapore in 2011, he said that the landscape there was akin to “a different planet.” If Asia was a different planet, then the startups there were a different galaxy. They were formulated differently than he was used to, but he loved that aspect of his job. Born in India – he describes himself as a “Bangalore boy” – he also appreciated being closer to home.

He jokingly admits a slight bias toward India, and he finds the change that has occurred in the country these past five to six years to be monumental. It’s something, he says, to watch an economy more partial to putting people into white and blue collar jobs pivot toward startups and entrepreneurship.

“The creative innovation is phenomenal,” he says.

Hello, Asia

Rohan’s story, though, begins several years before that, even before he decided to trade in the grey skies of London for Singapore’s sunshine.

Right from his school days, Rohan found himself drawn to marketing because of the opportunities for creativity, individualism, and advancement. He found it an exciting subject that allowed him to interact with people – a favorite aspect of his job.

If Asia was a different planet, then the startups there were a different galaxy.

Startup advice