KUALA LUMPUR: Social media behemoth Facebook has now opened its office in Malaysia.
The local team, which will be based in KL Sentral, aims to not only enable Malaysian users to enhance their Facebook experience but also to connect more businesses with the company’s solutions.
Facebook Southeast Asia managing director Kenneth Bishop said the launch of its office here marked a milestone for Facebook in Malaysia.
“We are committed to helping Malaysians and businesses connect in more meaningful ways. Our local team in Malaysia will be focused on helping businesses tap into this unprecedented opportunity to connect with today’s ‘mobile-first’ consumers,” he said.
Southeast Asia, he said, is the fastest growing region for Facebook and Malaysia, a ‘mobile-first’ country with a mobile penetration rate of 144 per cent, is driving the growth.
Bishop said that Facebook is seeing strong momentum in Malaysia with more than 18 million Facebook users and 6.5 million people on Instagram.
“In Malaysia, 94 per cent of people discover products and brands on Facebook, and 62 per cent make a purchase after discovery,” he said.
The launch event also saw Nicole Tan, who is former managing director with J. Walter Thompson Malaysia, announced as Facebook’s Head of Malaysia.
Tan said Malaysian Facebook users are an active and ‘mobile-first’ community.
“They have 60 per cent more friends than the global average and spend more time watching videos on their smartphones than consumers in any other country in Southeast Asia,” she said.
Facebook’s Asia Pacific vice-president, Dan Neary also explained the company’s strategy and plans for the Malaysian market at the event today.
The opening of its Kuala Lumpur office comes on the heels of the launch of its Manila office in April.
Each month, 241 million people use Facebook across Southeast Asia, 94 per cent of them via mobile while globally, 1.65 billion people now use Facebook.