NEW DELHI: Shikha Singh, the executive who helped Dailymotion crack the notoriously difficult Indian market, has jumped ship to join Marfeel, a Spanish adtech firm, as sales director for Asia-Pacific. The move marks another coup for European technology companies seeking to expand their footprint across the region’s fragmented digital landscape.

Singh’s departure from Dailymotion, where she spent over seven years building the French video platform’s Indian operations, signals the intense competition for experienced hands in the publisher technology space. At Marfeel, she will spearhead the Barcelona-based company’s push into markets where digital advertising spending continues to surge despite global economic headwinds.

The appointment comes as Marfeel, which helps publishers optimise their websites for better user engagement and revenue, looks to capitalise on the growing demand for sophisticated content management tools across Asia. The company’s technology promises to boost page views and advertising income—a compelling proposition for cash-strapped media organisations grappling with declining print revenues.

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Singh’s track record suggests Marfeel has chosen wisely. During her tenure as country manager for India at Dailymotion, she delivered what she describes as “phenomenal growth” of 120 per cent over two years whilst serving as sales director for supply and enterprise sales. Her knack for “executing complex conversations with C-level people” and managing partnerships across the chaotic Indian media ecosystem made her a valuable asset for Vivendi-owned Dailymotion.

Before her Dailymotion stint, Singh cut her teeth at some of India’s most prominent digital media companies. She managed partnerships at Times Internet, the digital arm of India’s largest newspaper group, and worked on business development for Dainik Bhaskar Group, one of the country’s biggest Hindi-language publishers. Earlier roles at adtech firms LocoVida and Kaumarc Media, plus a brief entrepreneurial venture with JobsandResults.com, rounded out her experience in the rough-and-tumble world of Indian digital media.

The move reflects broader trends in the global adtech industry, where European companies are increasingly challenging American dominance in Asia-Pacific markets. Spanish firms, in particular, have been aggressive in their expansion, leveraging their experience in similarly fragmented European markets to tackle the complexities of Asian publishing.

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For Marfeel, Singh’s appointment represents a bet that the company can replicate its European success in markets where publishers are desperately seeking new revenue streams. Her deep understanding of the SaaS sales model and ability to navigate the relationship-heavy Indian business culture could prove crucial as the company attempts to win over sceptical Asian publishers.

The timing appears fortuitous. Digital advertising spending across Asia-Pacific is expected to continue growing, driven by rising smartphone penetration and increasingly sophisticated programmatic advertising tools. Publishers who can demonstrate measurable improvements in user engagement and revenue generation are well-positioned to capture a larger share of advertisers’ budgets.

Whether Singh can work the same magic for Marfeel that she did for Dailymotion remains to be seen. But her appointment signals that the battle for Asia-Pacific’s publisher technology market is heating up—and European companies are not content to let their American rivals have all the fun.

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