Simon Pangrazio

Managing Partner, WATATAWA

As Managing Partner of WATATAWA, a WE Company, Simon oversees a team of experienced consultants, working for Asian multi-national clients that have global businesses and for major multi-nationals operating across Asia. He works regularly with CEOs and senior leadership teams across WATATAWA’s clients helping them capture opportunities and address the challenges that fundamentally shape their businesses. Simon is passionate about working with companies as they transform their businesses to be higher performing, more global, more sustainable, more transparent and more engaged with their stakeholders.

Simon has more than 30 years’ experience in strategic communications in Asia-Pacific. A corporate positioning, financial communications and crisis management specialist, Simon has worked extensively with clients in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore and has a significant knowledge of market dynamics and how they affect organizations and their stakeholders in those markets. He has an extensive network of business relationships in the region and his in-depth understanding of industry sectors includes banking and financial services, agriculture, telecommunications, food and beverage, FinTech, mining and resources and technology.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Simon moved to Asia almost 20 years ago, working for Burson-Marsteller. During that time, he ran the Singapore office and worked with the Singapore Tourism Board to aid the recovery of the country’s tourism sector after the SARS epidemic. Moving to Tokyo, Simon worked on mergers & acquisitions in the Japanese banking sector and in helping to position major economic regions in Japan worldwide. In Mainland China, based in Beijing, Simon helped to build the China corporate practice and worked on a number of major issues and crises, including for clients during the melamine infant formula crisis. In Hong Kong, Simon provided counsel to a number of global financial services clients and worked regionally on crisis preparedness and training. He has also led the communications for major IPOs and mergers and acquisitions in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.  Immediately prior to becoming a founding partner of WATATAWA, Simon was Regional President & CEO of Burson-Marsteller responsible for all of the firm’s operations across Asia-Pacific.

Married with three children, Simon enjoys surf fishing, loves classic cars and is a keen tennis player.

Blogs

Business Unusual: Limiting Disruption Through the Outbreak, Feb. 13, 2020