LONDON--Nelson Bostock Group is to launch in Asia after being awarded corporate PR duties for anchor client HTC’s Asia-Pacific business.

The firm will open in Hong Kong on 1 August. Nelson Bostock already handles product, lifestyle and corporate PR for smartphone brand HTC in Europe.

Nelson Bostock Asia will be led by the agency’s current head of mobile, Aparna Aswani, who will relocate to Hong Kong. She will report to Nelson Bostock group MD Lee Nugent.

Aswani has headed up the HTC account at Nelson Bostock since joining the agency in 2007.

Nelson Bostock chairman Martin Bostock said the move is a significant milestone for the firm, which was named the Holmes Report’s 2011 UK Consultancy of The Year:

“Expansion into the world’s powerhouse economic region is clearly a vital step for us. Being able to open for business with such a key anchor client already in place is even better. We have big plans in the region and I have no doubt that Aparna will do an outstanding job in building a highly-successful agency in Hong Kong.”