The Hub-and-Spoke Model: A Framework for APAC Regional Governance

As your business expands across Asia, you will face a specific operational crisis. We call it the "Brand Fragmentation" crisis.

It usually happens when you have teams in three or more markets.

The team in Indonesia is running a discount campaign that contradicts your premium positioning. The team in Thailand is using an old logo. The team in Vietnam is not reporting their sales data correctly.

Head Office is frustrated. They feel they have lost control. The local teams are frustrated. They feel the Head Office is slow and bureaucratic.

The solution is not to centralise everything (which kills speed). The solution is not to decentralise everything (which kills consistency).

The solution is the Hub-and-Spoke governance model.

The Failure of "Top-Down" Control

Many Western leaders try to run Asia from a single desk in London or New York. They demand that every social media post and every sales email be approved by someone (Asia Lead, Head of International) at HQ.

This fails. The approval process takes too long. By the time you approve a campaign for Singles' Day (11.11), the event is over. Your local teams stop asking for permission and start "going rogue" just to get their jobs done.

The "Hub-and-Spoke" Structure

This model balances control with agility.

The Hub (Strategy & Governance)

• Location: Usually Singapore (or virtual via a Fractional Partner).
• Role: The Hub defines the "Non-Negotiables." This includes the core brand message, the visual identity, and the high-level commercial targets.
• Output: The Hub produces the "Playbook"—the templates, the guidelines, and the strategy.
• Who sits here: Your Regional Director or Fractional CMO.

• Location: In-market (e.g. Jakarta, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City).
• Role: The Spokes adapt the Playbook. They translate the language. They adjust the tone for local culture. They choose the local channels (e.g., LINE vs. WhatsApp).
• Output: Sales, local partnerships, and customer engagement.
• Who sits here: Local Marketing Managers and Sales Leads.

Why This Works

The Hub-and-Spoke model solves the speed vs. control conflict.

The Hub does not do the work; it enables the work. It says: "Here is the campaign theme and the budget. You decide how to execute it in Bahasa Indonesia. Make sure to check our translation into casual language."

This gives the local team autonomy (which they want) while keeping the brand consistent (which you want).

How We are Brand Utility Fits Into This Picture

For many mid-sized companies ($10M - $100M), building a full-time "Hub" team in Singapore is too expensive.

This is where the Fractional Partner model works best. We act as your "Virtual Hub."

• We set the governance.
• We create the Playbooks.
• We manage the local execution teams (the Spokes) on your behalf.

You get the structure of a Regional HQ without the fixed cost of a Regional HQ.