Professional Background
Paul Anders Schwamm has worked as a company executive, Internet entrepreneur, and business consultant in the US, Europe, and Japan. Based in Asia since 1991, Paul has successfully developed new businesses, new technologies, and new brands both online and offline. He has pioneered new advertising technologies, turned around under-performing businesses, and helped companies with business strategy, partnerships, and strategic transactions throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Paul is Founder and Managing Director of ExDigita Inc., a provider of outsourced services and digital marketing virtual staff for online advertisers, web publishers, ad tech companies, digital agencies, e-commerce companies, affiliate marketers, and other companies active in the online digital marketing ecosystem. ExDigita helps online companies increase revenues while reducing tech staff costs up to 80% vs. typical US-based staff costs.
Paul is also the Founder and Managing Director of Globalis Media Inc., an advertiser-centric online media agency providing cost-effective online marketing solutions for advertisers.
Paul advises companies wishing to initiate, expand or improve their ad tech business, digital agency, or online marketing company, or companies wishing to start or expand their international business. Paul has occasionally helped early-stage venture companies with strategic planning and investment transactions with established corporations. He has also advised companies on strategic acquisitions and investments in the Japan and Asia online advertising and e-commerce market.
From January, 2004 through June, 2006, Paul served as General Manager, Asia-Pacific for Claria Corporation, a leader in online behavioral marketing and Web personalization technology. Paul initially consulted Claria in 2003 on expanding into Asia-Pacific markets, and Claria then asked him to lead this international expansion. Paul opened Claria’s Asia-Pacific office in Tokyo in June, 2004, and quickly led the company to significant sales and profitability in the region. Paul pioneered online behavioral marketing in Asia-Pacific, established agency relationships, and sold Claria’s services to more than 100 advertisers. This successful start up led to a $30 million investment in Claria by Softbank at a $380 Million valuation.
From 1999 – 2003, Paul served as Founder, President & CEO of @Asia Inc., an Internet venture company that developed Web sites and Internet content and services targeted to Japan and other markets. With little marketing budget, @Asia’s Web sites attracted hundreds of thousands of loyal users and received positive acclaim from a variety of media and industry sources. Paul introduced many global best practices into the Japanese Internet industry. Paul’s team developed one of the first multilingual Web mail services handling Japanese and Chinese language email, one of the first online bargain shopping and coupon sites in Japan, and one of the first Japanese-language domain name resale sites.
Prior to founding @Asia, Paul was Board Member of SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (Japan), a $350 Million business with 1,000 employees, and General Manager of SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare (Japan). Paul doubled sales and tripled profits within 18 months. Under Paul's leadership, SBCH was transformed from a no-growth laggard into the fastest-growing company in its industry, and achieved the highest sales/person level in its industry. Paul was responsible for the creation of the famous "Mr. Contac" character and TV commercials, which have won the prestigious All Japan Radio & Television Commercial Council advertising award several times. This award-winning TV campaign has been running for twenty years. The campaign also captured a POPAI award. Print ads created under Paul’s management have also won industry awards.
Before joining SB, Paul served four years as General Manager and Representative Director of the Japan consumer products subsidiary of American Home Products Corporation, one of the largest 100 corporations in the USA (later known as Wyeth, and now part of Pfizer). Paul was the youngest person ever to head a Japanese subsidiary of a Fortune 500 corporation. As General Manager of this $50 Million company, Paul successfully developed new businesses, and turned the company around from a deficit to a several million-dollar profit within two years, despite a severe recession. Paul also restructured and right-sized the company from 200 to 135 employees, becoming a "pioneer" in implementing a U.S.-style restructuring program in Japan. Paul joined AHP as Area Director, Asia Pacific for all consumer products businesses, and was promoted to manage the Japan subsidiary after only four months.
Previous experience includes Principal-Consultant for Pacific American Services, Inc., a New York-based international consulting and business development firm, marketing positions in both the USA and Europe for Sandoz International (now Novartis), and brand management with Richardson-Vicks Inc. (now part of Procter & Gamble).
Recognized internationally as a teacher, coach and advisor on consumer marketing, strategic planning, and new business development, Paul has participated in corporate training programs in Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, the U.S., Italy, and the U.K. Paul has lectured students in various universities and graduate schools, and served as an Alumni Counselor to the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). In addition to eighteen years in Japan, Paul has also lived in Germany three years and the Philippines thirteen years, where he currently resides.
Paul earned his MIM (Master of International Management) With Honors from AGSIM (Thunderbird). Paul also took advanced MBA courses in Mergers & Acquisitions and Managerial Economics in the Pace University Graduate School of Business. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Hobart College, and studied at the Universitat Freiburg im Breisgau and the Institute of European Studies in Freiburg,Germany.
Paul has been honored for outstanding achievement by several global corporations, and his analysis, insights, and commentary on business strategy and marketing issues have been sought by corporate executives and media. Paul was formerly the host of the “Interactive Japan” program on ITV Japan, and a speaker at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Please see the Media Coverage page for details.
Paul sponsors various community outreach events and charitable gifts personally and through ExDigita Inc.