AB Commerce Advisory · Singapore · APAC & GCC
Independent advisory and transformation practice for mid-market fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands entering or scaling across APAC and GCC.
"To give ambitious brands the operating judgment — not just the frameworks — to grow with integrity across Asia's most complex and consequential markets."
The problem we solve
Brands fail in APAC and GCC not from lack of ambition — but because every accessible advisor at the critical commitment moment has a commercial stake in the outcome.
Channel selection. Distributor evaluation. Market sequencing. These are the decisions that determine whether an APAC or GCC entry succeeds — and they deserve an advisor with no commercial stake in the outcome.
Retail transformation requires more than a framework — it requires someone who has actually run the change. Built the team. Rebuilt the commercial model. Traded the P&L through the transition.
Investment thesis requires APAC or GCC expansion. What they receive: a strategy report, a significant bill, and zero accountability for the commercial outcome.
AB Commerce Advisory brings together what the market has been missing: bilateral P&L experience across both the brand side and the platform/marketplace side · genuine offline retail, franchise, and physical channel depth · structural independence from distributors and platforms · transformation leadership credentials — all at once, at mid-market accessible engagement terms.
What we do
Every engagement begins with a scoped diagnostic — a fixed-fee, defined-deliverable assessment that demonstrates advisory quality before any ongoing commitment. Pricing is tailored to each engagement. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.
SERVICE LINE 01
Market EntryFor fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands entering APAC or GCC for the first time — across digital commerce and physical retail channels.
SERVICE LINE 02
TransformationFor established retailers and brands in APAC or GCC losing market relevance, navigating digital disruption, or rebuilding after a period of commercial underperformance.
SERVICE LINE 03
Fix & RecoveryFor brands with a stalled or failed market entry, a distributor relationship that has broken down, or a commercial position that is underperforming against investment.
SERVICE LINE 04
PE & Investor AdvisoryFor PE-backed and growth equity-funded consumer brands with APAC or GCC expansion mandates — operating advisor through the market entry and scaling phase.
Why AB Commerce Advisory
The founder
I have spent 30 years doing the work most advisors only write about.
I have operated on both sides of every negotiation I now advise on.
Thirty years of building and scaling consumer brands across Asia, India, and GCC — from opening 100+ flagship retail doors to leading $400M digital commerce portfolios, from category management at global brands to CEO across 9 markets. Full P&L ownership across digital commerce, physical retail, and AI-first operating models. Former senior leader at Nike, Lazada Group, Victoria's Secret, Williams-Sonoma, and GAP Inc. — with direct operating experience on both the brand side and the platform/marketplace side, across every major market in the region.
Every recommendation I make carries the same fee — regardless of which channel, distributor, or platform you choose. Your outcome is the only thing I am optimising for.
250+
Brands entered APAC — evaluated from the platform side
~$400M
Digital commerce led from the brand side at Nike
100+
Physical doors opened across 10 countries
15
Markets operated across APAC and GCC
Brand side vs platform side
Brand side
Nike · Senior Director
Victoria's Secret · AVP
Williams-Sonoma · Global Ops
GAP Inc. · Merchandise Mgr
Platform side
Lazada Group · EVP (6 markets)
Opptra · CEO (APAC, India, GCC)
Geography & platforms
Markets
Digital platforms — direct operating experience
Navy = Phase 1 primary markets · Teal = additional markets with operating experience
Offline retail & physical channel experience
100+ doors across 10 countries
Victoria's Secret physical retail expansion — Australia, APAC and across the region. Full store P&L from Day 1.
International franchise management
Williams-Sonoma / Pottery Barn outside North America. +7.4% net sales, −24% operating costs.
GAP Inc. — retail merchandise management
GAP Outlet and GAP Kids, Singapore. 31% business growth over 4 years. 30% cost savings through competitive sourcing.
O2O integration at scale
Nike App, SNKRS, and physical store experience integration across APAC and India — digital to in-store consumer journeys.
Start a conversation
If you are about to make a significant commercial commitment in APAC or GCC — and you want one conversation with someone who has made that exact decision before — reach out.
No pitch. No proposal on the first call. Just a conversation.
If there is a fit, we will know within 20 minutes.