About
International growth and expansion
Scaling a new performance advertising business across Asia Pacific
As demand for performance advertising accelerated, GroupM launched Light Reaction globally as an outcomes-driven proposition alongside Xaxis.
I was appointed to establish the business across Asia Pacific — launching new markets, building local capabilities and creating the foundations for regional scale.
01 - The mandate
Build. Launch. Scale.
One proposition. Multiple markets. Very different realities.
The challenge was not simply geographical expansion. Asia Pacific is not one market.
Different levels of digital maturity, media ecosystems, client expectations, commercial structures and cultures meant that the proposition could not simply be copied from one country to another.
My role combined regional strategy with hands-on execution: identifying the right markets and opportunities, developing the commercial proposition, aligning Xaxis and GroupM stakeholders, supporting local leadership and sales teams, and creating the conditions for each operation to become commercially successful.
Market
entry
Identify opportunity and establish the commercial case for entering individual markets.
Local
execution
Translate a global proposition into something relevant and executable within very different local market environments.
Stakeholder alignment
Bring together Xaxis, GroupM, agencies, clients, publishers and local leadership around a common commercial opportunity.
Scale and expansion
Move rapidly from individual launches towards a connected regional business.
a part of
02 - The proposition
From impressions to outcomes.
Light Reaction entered the market at a point when digital advertising was still heavily focused on impressions, clicks, viewability and audience targeting.
The proposition pushed performance further.
Rather than simply asking whether an advertisement had been delivered or clicked, Light Reaction focused on the business outcome advertisers actually wanted to achieve — from leads and sales to downloads, site traffic and engagement.
That thinking evolved from a mobile-first proposition into a broader multi-channel outcomes business, using audience intelligence, programmatic media and continuous optimisation to connect advertising more directly to measurable results.
03 - The expansion
One regional strategy.
Ten market launches.
Light Reaction was successfully introduced in 10 major markets across Asia Pacific, establishing a substantial regional footprint and contributing to Xaxis' shift towards outcome-based advertising.
Building the regional footprint required a combination of central direction and local entrepreneurship. Each launch involved working directly with market leadership to establish the proposition, develop commercial opportunity and integrate Light Reaction within the wider Xaxis and GroupM organisation.
CHINA
PHILIPPINES
SOUTH KOREA
INDONESIA
THAILAND
MALAYSIA
SINGAPORE
VIETNAM
HONG KONG
TAIWAN
04 - Beyond Light Reaction
Success broadened
the mandate.
As Light Reaction scaled, my role increasingly extended beyond the business I had originally been brought in to build.
While working across the region, I identified opportunities to support the wider Xaxis organisation and its portfolio of brands, including native advertising specialist plista.
That evolved into a broader role with the Xaxis APAC Executive team, supporting key growth markets across the portfolio rather than Light Reaction alone.
Taiwan
Broader Xaxis portfolio and market growth
Japan
Supported leadership and talent capability to accelerate market development
Thailand
Expanded responsibility beyond Light Reaction
Pakistan
Supported the establishment of Xaxis as a new market
05 - The outcome
Regional scale
From proposition to APAC business
Light Reaction moved from a new regional proposition to an established business operating across major markets throughout Asia Pacific.
FROM LAUNCH MANDATE
TO REGIONAL GROWTH PLATFORM
LIGHT REACTION → XAXIS → GROUPM
Commercial relevance
From media delivery to business outcomes
The proposition helped move the conversation beyond impressions and clicks towards measurable advertiser outcomes and commercial performance.
What began as responsibility for launching one performance advertising proposition developed into a broader mandate supporting markets, brands and growth across Xaxis APAC. Light Reaction was built to integrate into the wider Xaxis offering, leveraging existing client development, ad operations, media buying and reporting capabilities to create a scalable performance proposition.
Organisational impact
From one brand to wider Xaxis responsibility
Expanded regional responsibility across Xaxis brands and growth markets.
06 - Testimonial
“Auke launched Light Reaction in multiple markets in APAC and went on to further scale the brand to phenomenal success. His ability to identify opportunity, influence key stakeholders and most importantly get things done with pace were key drivers in this success and no doubt key strengths of his.
Auke played a wider role beyond just Light Reaction with the Xaxis APAC Executive team as he took initiative to support key growth markets in Taiwan, Japan and Thailand across all brands of Xaxis whilst also driving the start-up of Pakistan as a new market. His defined strengths of course saw him very successfully support the markets in achieving their growth expectations.”
Arshan Saha
CEO Asia Pacific | Xaxis
It has been my pleasure to work with Auke for the past three years. During these years Auke successfully launched Light Reaction in Thailand.
Auke has a true driver personality with great energy and passion for what he is currently focusing on. He ensures that tasks get done, by encouraging collaboration across units and throughout all ranks of the organization.
Niklas Stalberg
CEO Thailand | GroupM
