Announcement: Zavala Civitas has opened a new office in Southeast Asia, strategically located in Vietnam — building on its established China presence since 2014. Barry Kirkwood has been appointed Southeast Asia Director, bringing 15 years of leadership experience including 10 years in China, a background as General Manager at Gemini Personnel Shanghai, senior roles with the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and Guangdong, and ICF Certified Coach credentials. The appointment reinforces Zavala Civitas’s ability to serve clients and candidates throughout Southeast Asia from a permanent regional base.
Last updated: August 13, 2026
Vietnam, July 12, 2024. Zavala Civitas is pleased to announce the opening of its new office in Southeast Asia, strategically located in Vietnam. This step marks a significant development for the firm — building upon its established China presence since 2014. Zavala Civitas will utilise this new base for its continued expansion and dedication towards providing outstanding executive search services in the rapidly growing Southeast Asian market.
Key Credentials at a Glance — Barry Kirkwood, Southeast Asia Director
| Credential |
Detail |
| Total leadership experience |
15 years — including 10 years based in China |
| Most recent senior role |
General Manager, Gemini Personnel Shanghai |
| Industry bodies |
British Chamber of Commerce — Shanghai and Guangdong provinces |
| Qualifications |
ICF Certified Coach; BA (Hons), Loughborough University |
To head this office, Barry Kirkwood was appointed as the Southeast Asia Director. Barry comes with 15 years of leadership experience including 10 years in China — with substantial knowledge and strategic insight built during that period in the region. He has held significant posts at Gemini Personnel Shanghai as General Manager and at the British Chamber of Commerce in both Shanghai and Guangdong provinces. He is an ICF Certified Coach and holds a BA (Hons) from Loughborough University — bringing international business acumen and deep regional knowledge to Zavala Civitas’s Southeast Asia expansion.
The Southeast Asia office opening is the concrete expression of a strategic logic that Zavala Civitas has been building toward since 2014: that the most consequential executive talent decisions in Asia are not made from a single hub. China, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the broader APAC region have materially different talent markets, regulatory frameworks, and business culture contexts — and serving clients effectively in each requires physical presence alongside network depth. Barry Kirkwood’s decade of China experience and his deep ASEAN regional relationships represent exactly the combination that allows Zavala Civitas to serve both international companies entering Southeast Asia from established markets and Southeast Asian companies building out their leadership capability for regional and global growth ambitions. Vietnam is not simply a convenient location — it is the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia by recent GDP growth rates, and one of the most active markets for the international manufacturing, logistics, and technology investment that creates the most immediate and sustained executive leadership demand.
“Strategically placed in Vietnam, we are now excited to open our new office that would enable us to meet clients and candidates throughout Southeast Asia. Barry’s exceptional leadership skills combined with deep expertise will foster growth and success for us in this critical market.” — Fernando de Zavala, Partner, Zavala Civitas
The opening of the Southeast Asia office forms part of Zavala Civitas’ global scale-up strategy targeting key markets. An experienced team is ready at the new office to deliver customised executive recruitment packages for regional clients across Southeast Asia.
For more details about Zavala Civitas or its services, please visit zavalacivitas.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Zavala Civitas Executive Search
Zavala Civitas is a leading executive search and leadership advisory firm founded in 1971, committed to helping organisations identify, attract, and retain top talent. With global presence across Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific, Zavala Civitas assists clients to navigate the complexity of today’s business environment by offering strategic advice tailored to their specific needs. The firm operates with a 92% closing rate across completed executive search mandates.
For more information, please contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions: Zavala Civitas Southeast Asia Office
Why is Vietnam specifically the right location for Zavala Civitas’s Southeast Asia headquarters?
Because Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia by GDP growth rate, and one of the most active markets for international manufacturing, logistics, and technology investment — creating sustained executive leadership demand from both international companies entering Vietnam and Vietnamese companies building out leadership capability for regional growth. Its central position in the ASEAN region also enables effective coverage of the broader Southeast Asian market from a single base.
How does Barry Kirkwood’s China experience specifically benefit Zavala Civitas’s Southeast Asia executive search practice?
Because many of the international companies entering Southeast Asia from manufacturing, technology, and consumer goods sectors are the same companies that have operated in China for a decade or more — and that are now diversifying their Asia production and market footprint into Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines under the China Plus One strategy. Barry’s decade of China-based leadership and deep understanding of how international companies structure and staff Asian operations creates direct relevance to the Southeast Asia executive search mandates Zavala Civitas is now positioned to serve from its Vietnam base.
What sectors will Zavala Civitas’s Southeast Asia office primarily serve?
International manufacturing, logistics, and technology investment — the primary drivers of executive leadership demand in the current Vietnam and broader Southeast Asia market — alongside financial services, consumer goods, and the growing professional services sector supporting foreign investment activity. Barry Kirkwood’s background in personnel and executive search in the China-ASEAN corridor positions the office to serve both international companies building regional leadership teams and Southeast Asian companies seeking the cross-border executive capability that regional and global growth ambitions require.
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