Opening doors in Singapore
Meet Harshi from Huxly APAC
Here at Huxly, we’re no strangers to exploring new places, cultures and experiences. Let’s be honest – you’ll have a hard time stopping us. Immersing ourselves in customers’ needs and experiences is what we do, and it takes us to all sorts of fascinating places. In fact, in September, it took us all the way to Singapore – for the opening of our very first Huxly Asia-Pacific office.
Opening the doors were Harshita Mullick and Coco Wu, who head up our new, on-the-ground Singapore team. We’ll be talking to Coco next time, but today we’re getting to know Harshi and hearing what excites her most about Huxly’s latest adventure…
I’m new to the company, but not to the family! I’ve been at our sister company MMR since 2022 and from the moment I joined, I was drawn to the projects where we collaborated with Huxly. I loved the way the team took on creative challenges and I’ve played a big part in combining MMR’s sensory qual skills with Huxly’s creativity. Their expertise complements each other to give brands a completely unique combination – and really tangible, sensorially superior innovations.
I’m originally from Kenya, but I’ve been working in the UK for more than a decade. I’ve always dreamt of moving to Asia and found myself constantly wanting to visit. I love the food here (a big motive behind the move!) and I’ve just always gravitated to the region, so when the opportunity came up to move out here and get a team off the ground, I jumped at it. I’m so excited to be here!
My roots are in food and sensory consumer sciences, which led me to work in R&D. I’ve focused on integrating the consumer experience from the start of the innovation process, as well as identifying white-space opportunities through design thinking. Over the years, I’ve worked client side for food and drink brands, so I understand their perspectives and concerns.
That experience, along with my passion for food, innovation and understanding client challenges, took me deeper into sensory qual research, where I’ve specialised in delivering sensory-led design. I’m generally a very curious person – I want to know the ‘why’ behind every problem and carve out a creative solution. Huxly was the perfect fit!
It’s got to be co-creating Sensory Semiotics (SenSem) at MMR. It’s a consultative tool that blends the art of semiotics with the rigour of sensory expert consultancy. It’s definitely one of my biggest career highlights and it’s already proven really popular with APAC clients.
What excites me most is how the approach makes semiotics (which is incredibly powerful but often seen as conceptual and hard to grasp) into something tangible and actionable, by rooting it in the sensory experience. By doing that, we developed a way to reveal the unspoken needs that consumers struggle to articulate, giving brands deeper and more actionable insights.
Too often, innovation tries to be culturally relevant by just jumping on trend bandwagons. Our approach goes beyond trends to give clients a future-proofed advantage – and I really think it’s a breakthrough in how we can solve clients’ challenges creatively.
Working in Europe, I’ve always seen the APAC region as a leader in emerging trends, often three or four years ahead of Western markets. It’s an area that I would say is characterised by dynamic growth and fast-paced change.
On top of that, its rich, diverse cultural nuances make APAC a fascinating and complex market. Innovation is just so much more exciting here and I believe the region’s full of significant opportunities.
Being here to do it! But also putting ourselves, as a company, at the forefront of cultural change. Here I think we have the opportunity to work with brands and products that are genuinely pushing boundaries. Our unique expertise means we can approach the region’s fast pace and distinct demands with genuine curiosity instead of cultural overwhelm.
We’re not new to the region either. Huxly’s been delivering work in APAC for a while now, through teams based in other parts of the world, and I’ve loved being part of those projects. Having a local presence will enable us to build on that, fully integrating ourselves within the region to better meet our clients’ needs.
Innovation is moving at such a rapid pace, in everything from developing new products to expanding ranges and markets – so we need to adapt and respond more quickly than ever. Here in APAC things are growing faster than anywhere else, so having a local team with its finger on the pulse is essential if we’re going to stay agile and responsive to emerging trends that are unique to the region.
Being here means we can deliver culturally relevant insights and solutions, in real time. We’ll form deeper relationships with our clients and unlock opportunities that just aren’t possible at a distance. It’s about reinforcing our commitment to driving innovation that really resonates with local consumers.
When it comes to innovation and growth, brands here want opportunities that are deeply localised and culturally relevant. They want solutions that reflect the region’s rich diversity and unique consumer behaviours. The most successful brands adapt quickly, embed themselves in local culture and deliver products and experiences that connect with consumers on a cultural level, rather than just relying on global trends.
I’m a massive foodie with a particular love for the regional diversity of the cuisines here, so I’m keen to travel the region, learn more about the people and the places, and hopefully eat my way through APAC! As well as fuelling my personal passion, it’s also going to deepen my understanding of the unique flavours and cultural nuances that drive consumer behaviour – making every interaction and project even more rewarding.
We’re based in Pasir Panjang, Singapore, with huge opportunities on our doorstep, so Coco and I are definitely excited to start growing our team. We’re already deepening our client partnerships by meeting lots of fascinating brands face to face.
We’ll be building a diverse set of sensational strategists, fuelled by curiosity and a passion for answering clients’ needs in ways that deliver highly intentional innovation. So if you’re out there and you’re interested in working with us, we’d love to hear from you.
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Like to talk to the Huxly APAC team?
You can reach out to Harshi at APAC@huxlyglobal.com or meet her in person at IIEX 2026 in Bangkok in February, where she’ll be a guest speaker.
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