Bud Communications wins Daikin & WEX in APAC growth
Wed, 2nd Sep 2026 (Today)
Bud Communications has won new accounts with Daikin and WEX, adding to its client roster in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region.
WEX appointed the independent public relations and content agency to lead public relations across APAC, while Daikin joined its client list in the first half of the year.
The wins continue a run of client additions across enterprise technology, eCommerce, corporate and consumer work. Bud also pointed to relationships across the wider region, including AC Mobility and BYD.
The business has been expanding its Australian operation alongside those account gains. Since launching in Australia in 2024, the local team has grown from one person to four, servicing clients across Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific market.
Headquartered in Singapore, the agency also has offices in Sydney and Manila, as well as operations in Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. Its latest growth in Australia comes as agencies across the region compete for multinational accounts with cross-border communications needs.
New hires
Bud has added Ashley Regan to its content team as senior content executive. Regan previously worked as deputy editor at AdNews and has spent six years in editorial and content roles, including work focused on the Australian media and marketing sectors.
Her appointment expands the agency's presence to Melbourne. Her work has also been recognised at the Australian IT Journalism Awards, known as The Lizzies.
Oliver Budgen, chief executive officer and founder of Bud Communications, linked the latest account wins to the agency's approach to client work and team building.
"Australia has been one of our best growth stories these past two years," Budgen said.
"Going from a one-person outpost to a fast-growing team, and picking up accounts like Daikin and WEX, largely through word of mouth, comes down to how we work: focusing on building client believability, adopting and applying new technology, and nurturing a culture that lets us attract people who'd rather challenge how comms is done than repeat it."
Pitch framework
A factor in recent pitches has been its Believability Framework, which it uses to assess trust, credibility and authenticity in a structured way. The framework also helps shape ongoing public relations strategy for clients.
Bud described the model as a score-based diagnostic designed to identify where a brand has credibility and where it has room to differentiate. Agencies have increasingly sought to package planning tools and measurement systems as they try to stand out in competitive account reviews.
In Australia, the business also pointed to industry recognition after being named a top PR agency in Australia and New Zealand at the PRovoke Awards. That marked its first industry award in the local market.
Richie Kenzie, Australia lead at Bud Communications, said the period had brought both client gains and broader business expansion.
"We're thrilled to have someone of Ash's journalistic calibre join Bud's Australia team. Not only does she expand our presence to Melbourne, she also brings a wealth of experience across industries where the majority of our clients do business. Her addition further demonstrates Bud's ability to provide both best-in-class PR and genuinely impactful marketing content for our partners.
"Alongside the slate of new client wins we've had in the first half of the year, it's been an extremely positive period overall for the business and we're excited to continue our upward momentum," Kenzie said.