Elliot Renton at Magnifi

Route To Networking Podcast: Elliot Renton – Leading with Innovation Across APAC 

In this episode, host Jamie Maher speaks with Elliot Renton, SVP at Magnifi, a Media, Entertainment, Sports, & Technology Leader. From starting out in the UK to building a career across Asia Pacific, Elliot shares a journey full of bold moves, cultural shifts, and forward-thinking leadership.

Making Bold Moves Early On
 Elliot reflects on relocating to Singapore in his twenties—an unpaid promotion that became a career-defining opportunity. With curiosity and determination, he embraced the challenges of working in an emerging market, learning to navigate cultural nuances and shifting business landscapes.

How the Industry’s Evolved
From rigid hierarchies to agile, tech-driven organisations, Elliot unpacks how APAC’s media landscape has transformed over 25 years. AI is now reshaping content creation and distribution—and for companies, the question is no longer if they’ll adapt but how.

Scaling Across Diverse Markets
 As SVP, Elliot now leads commercial expansion in Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and China—tailoring go-to-market strategies for each. With experience from AWS, Grabyo, and sports media, he's focused on scaling innovation while staying adaptable.

AI’s Role in Shaping the Future
 Elliot explains how AI is revolutionising workflows—not replacing people, but changing how roles in editing and production are done. The next 5–10 years will see profound changes, especially for legacy broadcasters balancing tradition and innovation.

The Streaming Revolution in Asia
 The region’s streaming landscape is dynamic and competitive. Elliot dives into why localised strategies, mobile-first experiences, and flexible payment models are crucial—and how the "old playbook" for profitability no longer works.

Key Lessons from a Global Career
 From Getty Images to leading tech ventures, Elliot’s passion for innovation is clear. He stresses the need for businesses to stop being reactive and start thinking five years ahead, especially in industries being disrupted at speed.

Advice for Future Talent
Whether you’re still at uni or seeking your next move, Elliot’s advice is simple: stay curious, stay learning, and stay authentic. He encourages young professionals to lean into discomfort, take risks, and embrace global opportunities.

Looking Ahead
 Elliot’s love for sports tech shines through—wearables, AI-powered performance tracking, and smart infrastructure are all areas he’s watching closely. He also reflects on how tech can make a real difference in areas like healthcare.  He makes a poignant point that with technology in general:

‘If it's shaped in the right way, if it's done responsibly, if it's done with a lot of security and so forth, there's a there's a lot of job creation a lot of a lot of growth that's going to come from that. It's just we might not be seeing all of it in front of our eyes right now.’ 

Plus: Quick-fire insights
Books, resources, go-to industry reads, and whether he’d return to the UK after 20 years in Singapore (and yes, we find out his favourite football team ⚽).

This episode is packed with insight, career advice, and a future-focused look at media, tech, and leadership in a global world.

Tune in—you’ll walk away inspired.

Elliot is more than happy to connect with our listeners to offer further help and advice for those wanting to enter the industry.

Connect with Elliot here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-renton-b6a4b510/