Marketing and communications has been an integral part of companies in shaping their brand image, selling values, advertising their products and services, which ultimately rings in the dollars and cents seen on balance sheets.

But despite the importance of the profession, modern marketing as we know it to be is a relatively new field of business that took off only in the 1900s, with the widespread consumption of radio and television content.

Our guest for today is one of the early players in the industry. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, our guest for today is Dentsu, one of the largest global marketing and communications networks in the world.

The Tokyo-listed company boasts a presence spanning across 110 countries and regions, and is said to combine the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for enterprise customers.

That is particularly so through its landmark acquisition of UK-based Aegis Group for 3.2 billion British pounds back in 2012, and its purchase of US-based customer relationship management firm Merkle to expand its footprint and standing on the global stage.

In Singapore, Dentsu operates as a strategic hub for Southeast Asia, and delivers what it calls end-to-end experience transformation for brands, people and society.

Yet, Dentsu's rapid internationalisation moves come at a cost – the kinks involved in integrating acquisition targets have put a dent on financial performance.

In August 2025, the firm reported an operating loss of 62 billion yen (S$540 million) for the quarter ended June, after booking an 86 billion yen impairment loss due to sluggish performance in the US and Europe. The company also said it will cut about 3,400 jobs in markets outside of Japan, or about 8 per cent of headcount in the region to streamline operations.

And in that same month, a report by the Financial Times noted that Dentsu is considering selling its international business.

So where are things at right now, and what would the recent developments mean for Dentsu’s Southeast Asia and Singapore’s operations? What would they mean for Dentsu's global growth ambitions too?

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Prakash Kamdar, CEO, Clients & Solutions, SEA, and CEO, Singapore, Dentsu.

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It's all about hypercars in this “On the Go” Special episode of “Under the Radar” as Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian headed down to BUGATTI Singapore’s showroom at 45 Leng Kee Road.

Founded by Ettore BUGATTI in 1909, BUGATTI prides itself as a state-of-the-art hyper sports car marque, and is said to produce the world’s most powerful and luxurious cars.

Fun fact – each car is still hand-assembled at the firm’s Atelier in Molsheim.

Today, BUGATTI is part of the BUGATTI Rimac Group, and is laser focused on developing the next generation of hyper sports cars.

And the CEO and President of BUGATTI Mate Rimac is in town to mark the 20th anniversary of its iconic model, the BUGATTI Veyron.

The BUGATTI Veyron became the world’s first production car with more than 1,000 hp and a top speed of over 250mph in 2005.

Tian Tian caught up with Mate briefly during the anniversary celebration event to find out about his priorities for the business, his take on the importance of Southeast Asia and Singapore as markets for the company, as well as BUGATTI’s future lineup.

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Founded in 1981 through the spin-off by a team of engineers from Dassault Aviation to design products in three dimensions, Dassault Systemes seeks to revolutionise the aerospace industry with Computer Aided Designs or (CADs).

The aim is to advance virtual worlds and empower innovators to come up with sustainable solutions that address the most pressing global challenges.

Fast forward to today, the French software maker’s solutions touched multiple industries from aviation, to mobility and healthcare, serving 370,000 customers with differing needs and sizes.

And here are some fun facts. The firm says 90% of cars in the world are engineered or built using its collaborative solutions.

And if you’re wondering why your pair of Adidas running shoes perform or fits better – well, Dassault Systemes could have a part to play in that.

But beyond that, the firm is also involved in the building of digital twins of products, processes and even cities to help industries test and prepare for real world challenges.

All in, the company had in July 2025 reported total revenue of 1.52 billion euros for the second quarter of 2025, up 5 per cent from the year ago period. Diluted earnings, though, stood at 0.17 euros, down 19 per cent from the year prior.

But what are the key drivers of growth for the firm and what role did Asia and Singapore play in this regard?

Meanwhile, the firm also introduced its 3D UNIV+RSES at its Capital Markets Day, a comprehensive solution that embeds multiple generative AI technologies along with 3D designs, virtual twins and more. But what should we know about the new solution, and how will the generative economy reshape the growth trajectory for firms like Dassault Systemes?

In this "On the Go" Special episode of "Under the Radar", Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian headed down to Tampines Grande to Dassault Systemes’ office to speak with CEO Pascal Daloz, who was in town for just about 24 hours.

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