25.06.20

Myanmar’s leading news and entertainment platform Duwun acquires the social-first agency Irie Digital

Ringier AG and its local partner, Information Matrix Company Limited (via joint venture entity IM Ringier Company Limited trading as Duwun) have agreed to acquire the social first agency Irie Digital in Yangon in order to further expand the range of services offered by its news and entertainment platform duwun.com.mm in Myanmar.

Irie Digital, founded in 2017 by Rianne Roggema, offers end-to-end solutions for companies to expand and retain their customer base with the help of digital and social media.

Duwun, founded in 2015, is focused on digital news, lifestyle and entertainment coverage for Myanmar millennials. With a total of around 17 million combined social media followers and 100 million video views per month, Duwun is today the number one in terms of readership in online media in Myanmar.

«The acquisition of Irie Digital fits perfectly to our long term strategy for Duwun. We see a huge demand from companies in Myanmar for localised digital content that is tailored to their interests and lives up to global standards. With the strategic and creative expertise of Irie, we will be able to innovate new content that engages consumers and offers robust and end-to-end solutions for brands, organisations and advertisers. I am excited to welcome the team of Irie Digital as part of our activities. Together we will further shape the digital landscape in Myanmar», says Benjamin Gajkowski, Head of Ringier Asia.

«We’re a team of creative mathematicians. From our inception, we’ve adapted and proactively catered to the ever-growing needs of our clients. Until this point, that’s meant being a social-first digital agency. But we believe in going beyond social to deliver targeted digital experiences that combine cutting-edge concepts with calculated strategy to connect with the right consumers, in the right place, at the right time. Duwun and Irie Digital are the right match. I am looking forward to add additional services to Duwun´s offering», says Rianne Roggema, currently Managing Director of Irie Digital.

With the integration of the agency, key employees will move to Duwun. Jesse Gage, current General Manager of Duwun, is leaving the company in the near future to take up a new challenge within Ringier. In the coming weeks, he will commence the hand-over of his leadership responsibilities to Rianne Roggema and will continue to support Duwun throughout the leadership transition period.

«I am very happy that with Rianne Roggema we could win a digital expert of the Burmese market as the future CEO  of Duwun. Rianne has gained a lot of hands on experience in building a business, which will be of considerable benefit to the further development of Duwun, says Benjamin Gajkowski. «At the same time I would like to thank Jesse Gage – also on behalf of the two joint venture partners – Information Matrix and Ringier – for his passionate and dedicated work in establishing Duwun in the Burmese market. I wish him all the best and much success for his further professional development.

Ringier AG, Corporate Communications