James Sanders, head of Channel Partnerships, Google Asia Pacific, will keynote the first day of ILM Asia, a conference that BIA/Kelsey and ADPAI are jointly producing Oct. 25-26 in Singapore. The event will attract directory publishers, as well as new media pioneers from around the region, and will be modeled after BIA/Kelsey’s successful U.S.-based Interactive Local Media (ILM) events.

Australia-based Sanders manages Google’s channel partnerships business in Asia Pacific, which sells Google’s full range of advertising products through partners to small and mid-size businesses. The business started in 2010, and is now one of Google’s fastest growing business units in the Asia-Pacifc region.

Sanders has been with Google for three years. Prior to his current role he worked in the channel partnerships business in Europe, where he managed relationships with Europe’s leading directories businesses. Sanders is a Chartered Accountant, with an M.B.A. from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Nottingham.