Hong Kong holding company Trimaran Capital, owned by Pansy Ho and Michelle Cheng, has formed a joint venture with French luxury communications agency Mazarine Groupe.
The new Sino-French joint venture is named Mazarine Asia-Pacific. It combines Mazarine's expertise - print and design, advertising, and creative and management services for fashion shows and special events - and public relations services of Trimaran PR Asia, of which Trimaran Capital is a shareholder, in its offerings for the Asia-Pacific.
Trimaran Capital and Mazarine Groupe jointly own the joint venture.
"Trimaran has clients spanning, for example, the property and hospitality industries. There is a lot of potential for synergy in terms of introducing the services of an international agency to these clients," said Cheng, chief executive officer of the joint venture and Trimaran PR Asia managing partner.
"Many developers and hotels in China are looking to the Western world for inspiration. It's about how we can connect these Chinese brands with French creatives and designs," said Cheng.
In addition to being the founding partner of Trimaran PR Asia, Ho is chairman of the joint venture.
Although one of Mazarine's strengths is digital services, this part of its business is not included in the joint venture for the time being.
Cheng said, "Digital services are very localised. Right now, we want to focus on combining our public relations expertise with Mazarine."
The joint venture is headquartered in Hong Kong and includes Trimaran's current offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Macau. It has plans to open offices in Taipei and Singapore.
Mazarine's subsidiary Mazarine La Mode En Images Beijing, which organized fashion shows in mainland China, is also part of the joint venture.
Public relations services were not previously offered by Mazarine, whose clients include LV, Cartier and Chanel, and has organized shows for Paris Fashion Week.
Paul Emmanuel Reiffers, president of Mazarine Groupe and deputy chairman of the joint venture said, "Just like the prestigious brands we are serving, we are continuing our expansion in Asia. With Trimaran's strong local presence and the collective skill sets in business strategy and development, the joint venture is poised to serve our clients globally as well as fuel growth for our home base in Paris."