Top Japanese Executive Job Site “BizReach” Launches New Job Site Targeting APAC Regional Executive Job Market

“RegionUP” Becomes Asia’s First Subscription-based Job Site Exclusively Focused on US$100K+ Jobs and Jobseekers

Hong Kong, Oct 18, 2012 – (ACN Newswire) – RegionUP will become Asia’s first subscription-based regional job site with an emphasis on the US$100K+ job market across the APAC region. RegionUP is operated by BizReach, Inc. which has revolutionized the traditional job search and now boasts a pool of executive caliber talent never before seen in Japan.(http://www.regionup.com)

RegionUP is a new online platform, which matches business professionals and senior-level jobs. Only professionals making over US$70K annually and US$100K+ jobs are allowed.

The site will also become the first ever, regional job site in Asia which charges jobseekers a monthly subscription fee to use. RegionUP aims to aggregate information on both the recruitment and jobseeker side of the executive job market, as currently the information is extremely fragmented.

Currently, there are no exclusive online destinations, where executive-level jobseekers, employers and recruiters can come together. All avenues of communication have been flooded by the masses, making it difficult for recruitment professionals to find high-quality talent. Equally, the experienced professional has been without access to a convenient location providing legitimate opportunities for advancement and growth. RegionUP’s exclusivity is the solution. Only executive-level positions and candidates are allowed. Whether you are a superstar in your field looking for your next success or you search for these superstars, RegionUP is here to help you cut through the tedious process of meeting.

The Japanese executive job market was similarly fragmented in 2009 until BizReach entered the market and innovated using a similar business model. By leveraging the experience gained through the launch and operation of BizReach, RegionUP aims to enrich the executive job market in Hong Kong, Singapore and other major cities in the APAC region.

Implementing a unique business model whereby jobseekers pay a monthly subscription allows RegionUP to pass along two advantages to qualified recruiters. First, recruiters can be assured that all candidates are actively searching. Secondly, this allows us to initially make the service free to all qualified recruiters. In return, employers and recruiters need only post job openings that pay more than US$100,000 annually to the site and also search the resume database to approach jobseekers directly. Currently over 350 recruiters, mainly in Hong Kong and Singapore, have already started using the beta version of the service.

Business professionals in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as Shanghai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur who earn more than US$70,000 annually (the minimum annual salary requirement for registration) will be the target demographic of the site, aggregated mainly via online advertisements. We welcome any employer or recruiter, who has interest in approaching these types of jobseekers. Why the name, “RegionUP”? The name resulted from the site’s goal of providing a platform to maximize (“UP”) the possibilities and options of every business professional in the APAC region (“Region”).

In today’s grand opening, RegionUP (which has been running a beta version since April) will officially begin its subscription service for jobseekers. This service consists of 3 plans; a 30-day plan (US$49), a 90-day plan (US$99) and a 180-day plan (US$149).

As of October 11, RegionUP has been utilized by over 16,000 registered jobseekers and 359 recruiters, with over 2,490 jobs posted onto the site. The site aims to have 1 million jobseekers and over 5,000 employers and recruiters registered over the next 3 years.

About BizReach

BizReach is Japan’s first subscription-based job site that exclusively targets the senior-level (JPY 10 million) job market. BizReach hand-screens every “job seeker”, “job”, “recruiter”, and “company”, to ensure that the quality of information fits everyone’s needs.
Since BizReach released its service in April 2009, the company has not only become a top destination for senior level jobseekers, but for executive recruiters and HR departments in Japan as well.

Data
Registered Users: 140,000 users (Average annual salary: JPY 10.8 million = US$135K)
— of Companies (HR): 800 companies
— of Executive Recruiters: 810 recruiters
Job posting: 5,800 jobs

Released in April 2009, BizReach has quickly changed the Japanese executive job market by creating a popular online destination where the objective is clearly to find a good match between senior-level business professionals and recruiters as well as companies (HR Dept). BizReach was able to successfully find a solution to this unprecedented task by implementing a one-of-its-kind business model where jobseekers pay a monthly fee to use, and limiting the number of people and information accessing the site. Currently over 1,600 recruiters from executive search firms to operational companies (HR Dept.) use the site to procure top talent, which was not accessible before. The company is currently run by over 85 employees, which also owns Japan’s largest independent warehouse sale style e-commerce site LUXA, which has grown to a 50 person company in only 18 months. BizReach raised 200 million Yen (US$2.5 million) in February 2010 and LUXA raised 500 million Yen (US$6.25 million) in December 2010 from JAFCO, operator of Japan’s largest venture capital fund.

BizReach Inc, CEO profile
Swimmy Minami
Graduated from Tufts University in 1999 with magna cum laude in quantitative economics and international relations and joined Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking Dept. (M&A Advisory Group) in Tokyo. He later moved on to help start up the Tokyo Office of the PCCW Group, an investment company run by Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li. In 2003, he founded S-1 Sports, a sports entertainment consulting company and in 2004 became one of the founding members of the Rakuten Eagles baseball club. He took on various roles in starting up the expansion team, such as Assistant General Manager, Head of Entertainment Dept., Special Assistant to the CEO, as well as representing the ball club in several league-wide committees. He left Rakuten in 2007 and became the founder and CEO of BizReach.

This press release is issued on behalf of RegionUP by Vector Group International Limited.

Contact:

Vector Group International Limited

Cyrus Chan

Tel : +852 2528 5055 / 9123 2943

Fax : +852 2528 1990

Email : cyrus-c@vectorgroup.hk

Isa Kwok

Tel : +852 2528 5055 / 9492 8298

Fax : +852 2528 1990

Email: isa-k@vectorgroup.hk