London Mayor Boris Johnson Delighted At Unruly’s Expansion Into Japan

Sarah Wood, Co-Founder of Unruly, also appointed tech ambassador for London

Unruly, the London-based video ad tech company, yesterday announced it will open a new office in Tokyo as part of its global expansion plans, which coincides with a trip to Japan by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP.

The move marks the tech company’s continuing investment in the APAC region, following the opening of an office in Sydney, Australia in April and the launch of its APAC HQ in Singapore last year. Unruly was founded in London in 2006 and now employs 200 people across 15 offices with HQ operations in London, New York and Singapore.

The global video platform, which has worked with 90% of Ad Age 100 brands to help get their ads watched, tracked and shared online, is expanding its operations across APAC to help ROI-driven marketers in Japan benefit from its unique audience data, native video ad formats and mobile video exchange.

Japan has the third largest advertising market in the world, with research revealing that the online video market will be worth almost $1bn USD by 2017.

Over the next three days (October 13-15), The Mayor is leading a trade mission to Japan, where he will meet with senior Japanese politicians, business leaders and investors to foster closer ties and greater investment in life sciences, tech and innovation.

The visit is part of his continued drive to create jobs and growth in the capital by strengthening ties with world cities like Tokyo and promoting London to the world as a major investment destination.

He will be joined on the trip by London tech ambassador’s Eileen Burbidge MBE, HM Treasury FinTech Envoy and Derek White, Chief Innovation Officer, Barclays, to share London’s expertise and highlight the opportunities to grow this area in Japan.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson MP said: “Unruly is one of the great success stories of London’s tech community and I’m delighted that the company is bringing their talent and innovation to the Japanese market. Japan is one of the world’s most important economic powerhouses and my visit is an opportunity to bang the drum for London and strengthen our ties with the country.”

Sarah Wood, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Unruly said: “We are looking forward to bringing our unique data and insight to the Japanese market. Every market is different and Japan presents a huge opportunity for marketers looking to amplify the impact of their online video campaigns.

“Japan is still in the early stages of its digital video journey. Despite Japan currently having the third largest ad market in the world, only 3% of digital ad spend in 2014 was on online video. That’s going to change massively over the coming months, with some predicting that the Japanese online video market will be worth nearly $1bn USD by 2017.

“We want to be there from the outset to help develop the online ad industry in a way that is positive to publishers, brands and consumers.”

Separately, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP has today appointed Sarah Wood as a technology ambassador for London. She will join other ambassadors such as Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates, Gerard Grech, CEO Tech City UK and Kathryn Parsons CEO Decoded, to help promote the capital’s tech sector on an international stage.

The Mayor of London continued: “Sarah is one of the most talented individuals working the tech sector. She has built a world-class business by harnessing the best of London’s talent and innovation and is already spreading the message of our tech sector to international investors and audiences. Sarah is a shining example of the dynamic, entrepreneurial spirit that’s so pervasive in London and she is an outstanding ambassador.”

Sarah Wood added: “It’s a real honour to be asked to be a technology ambassador for London. London is the place to be if you want to start up and scale up a global technology company, and I want to make sure everyone around the globe is aware of all of the opportunities the capital offers. It’s home to some of the most innovative companies in the world, we have more developers and investors than any other city in the world, there are highly favourable tax incentives for entrepreneurs and we have a vibrant, lively and diverse culture.”

Japan is the world’s third largest economy and was the fourth largest investor in London last year. Since 2003, Japan has invested close to £500 billion in almost 12,000 foreign projects, creating 2.6 million jobs around the world. In 2014, trade with the capital totalled almost £950million.

David Slater, ‎David Slater, Director of International Trade & Investment said: “As one of the world’s largest economies, Japan is an important trading partner for London. From financial services firms to technology giants, London already serves as a key international hub for a number of leading Japanese businesses with a global footprint.  We are also seeing a growing opportunity for fast growing London businesses such as Unruly to expand into the Japanese market. Japan offers London and UK businesses a perfect springboard into the rapidly developing APAC markets. We look forward to increased collaboration between the two countries, particularly when welcoming more ambitious Japanese businesses looking to establish a regional or global HQ in London.”

More foreign companies are expanding or setting up headquarters in London than ever before, with around 40% of the world’s top companies having a European or global HQ in London. London & Partners, the Mayor’s inward investment company, helped a record 270 companies set up or expand in the city last year, creating nearly 5,000 jobs.