Chris Dobson, the former managing director of the soon-to-be defunct Imagination Hong Kong, will lead a new experiential design agency operating in Asia called The Labs.
Project Worldwide, the US-based independent, employee-owned agency network launched The Labs to work with brands, property owners, developers and architects to design “better-connected, more user-centric journeys and experiences”.
Dobson will join former Telstra executive David Woodbridge who leads The Labs team in Australia. With offices in Hong Kong and Sydney, The Labs will serve clients across Asia Pacific and is the latest addition to Project’s portfolio of agencies, which include George P Johnson, JUXT and Spinifex.
“The convergence of architecture, data, technology and brand communication is, in my mind, the most fertile creative space imaginable,” says Dobson. “Whether you are talking about retail, transportation, hospitality or commercial, the opportunities and benefits of better designed, smarter and more fluid customer experiences are impossible to ignore; it’s the absolute cutting edge of brand.”
Ben Taylor, former Jack Morton president for Asia Pacific, who is now the regional CEO for Project Wordwide, says: “With Asia continuing to lead the world in terms of technology innovation, social connectivity and smart city design, a business that is able to focus purely on creating the optimal customer experience, without trying to package-sell platforms or content, was obviously a huge gap in the market.
“I’m delighted to have secured Chris’s talents to lead The Labs in Asia,” Taylor adds.
“He’s a proven creative leader, strategic thinker and a champion of a new way of working for clients and agencies. Along with David, and the wider Labs teams, I think we have all the ingredients in place to help our clients, and their customers, design and develop the next generation of spaces and experiences.”
Main picture: The Labs’ team, from left: Ben Taylor, business director Bobby Tsang, Chris Dobson, David Woodbridge, chief creative officer Richard Bradley and Karen Chng, regional finance director for Project Worldwide
