At a time of accelerated change and disruption, companies in every sector need expert advice on how to retool and reposition brands — and that’s where Jonathan Cummings comes in.
“We help our clients transform their businesses as the world changes and becomes more connected,” says the chairman of Fitch Greater China, a strategic design consultancy which works in sectors ranging from retail and automotive to hospitality and property. “Existing legacy businesses need to adapt. Start-ups are looking to disrupt. We help to navigate that by shaping new retail concepts, understanding how consumer preferences and behaviour are changing, and drawing knowledge and insights from other industries.”
The usual starting point for any project, whether to launch a new cruise line targeting the mainland China market or redesign the store layout for a Singapore-based telecom company, is to discuss the client’s business goals — and point out the flaws.
“Our role is to challenge or assess those goals against the opportunities in the market and within the category,” Cummings says. “We play a role as a catalyst for change to help businesses understand what they need to do and how to get there.”
In one case, that could mean advising the retailer to do away with counters in stores, putting more focus on customer service and less on gadgets. In the other, it might be to see cruises as a way to inspire new ambitions, not just as a hedonistic week at sea.
“Our process and thinking lends itself to anyone,” he says. “We look at the physical, human and digital interfaces, each touchpoint on the customer journey, and try to make them as quick, easy and seamless as possible.”
Cummings hails originally from Ilford, to the east of London, where his mother was a nurse and his father an electrical engineer with a longstanding love of cricket. The family generally stuck close to home, but looking back Cummings sees himself as someone who was inquisitive, tenacious, and with a natural sense of adventure.
He opted to study economics and business management at Brunel University, attracted by an innovative syllabus and the four-year “thin sandwich” programme which saw students work for a company for the final term each year.
“I liked that as I was very keen to get to work and do stuff,” he says.
His third-year placement was with Citibank, which provided not just real-world experience, but also material for a final-year dissertation on the role of data in credit card programmes and the offer of a job after graduation.
He joined full-time in 1995, working on card projects linked to air miles and loyalty schemes — one of them for British Airways staff — and designing tailor-made programmes to enhance the customer experience. Wherever possible, these took due account of spending patterns and personalised the communication based on available data, something many companies still struggle with today.
It went well and, in 1997, caught the eye of the Institute of Directors in London, who needed someone to take charge of their training and conferences and give them more impact. Believing that all executives should be knowledgeable about leadership, technology and design, Cummings began by rebuilding the programme around those three themes and soon started to see results.
Interest grew around the UK with new members joining from different sectors; enhanced information and advisory services were put in place, making the institute a centre for high-tech know-how; and training initiatives were organised to help small businesses.
“I was in my mid-20s and had no idea what the next 10 years would bring,” Cummings says. “But I had no fear about getting involved in things, meeting and speaking with people and learning whatever I could for the benefit of our members. I was very lucky too, because I got a view of companies of all shapes and sizes, the challenges they face, and what makes a business successful.”
He had the chance, for instance, to question a minister on government policy for developing broadband, to fly to Seattle for a high-level series of workshops, and to discuss the importance of innovation and design with some of the leading figures in that field.
One such encounter, in 2006, brought an introduction to Start Creative, a forward-looking brand consultancy which was doing a lot of work for the Virgin Group. Ready for a new challenge, Cummings became a director and, over the next three years, set up offices in Dubai and Moscow, which involved plenty of long-distance commuting.
This, though, also brought the opportunity to work on brand building for projects like the luxury Palm development in Dubai and a Russian mobile phone company needing an effective retail strategy to interact with customers in a country spanning 11 time zones.
“It was an exciting time, and I was then asked to come to Hong Kong to set up StartJG 10 years ago,” says Cummings, noting that Fitch took a majority stake in 2016. “We had a successful business in the UK, but no particular market entry strategy. However, we have kept growing, have won several ‘agency of the year’ awards and now have three studios in Greater China, so we must be doing something right.”
When off duty, besides having family responsibilities, he makes a point of giving back to the community in multiple ways. For example, he co-founded the dragon boat team Panda Paddlers, which competes enthusiastically but perhaps more importantly has raised millions for the Cambodian Children’s Fund. He advises Enzi Footwear, a Kenyan firm making high-end fashion shoes, which are now on sale locally, as well as in Europe and the US. And he is a director of Cricket Hong Kong, aiming to boost the performance of representative teams and overall participation in the sport.
“The real satisfaction there comes from getting cricket into local schools and promoting it for the local audience,” he says. “It’s also important to get people here to understand the benefit of sports.”
