Andrew Charles Craissati (born 15 July 1963) was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group across the Asia Pacific region, 2000 - 2004. During this time, he served as a director of numerous Virgin companies, such as Virgin Radio Asia, Virgin Mobile Asia, Virgin Mobile Australia. Through his regional oversight, he also had involvement in Virgin Cinemas Japan, Virgin Money, Virgin Megastores, Virgin Blue, Virgin Active, Virgin Cosmetics, Virgin Drinks and other regional initiatives. He developed and managed a China-focused telecom investment joint venture with Japan's NTT DoCoMo. In addition, he successfully raised more than $500m of external financing and led over $1.5bn of transactions for the Group.
Andrew currently advises and invests in the media, leisure and technology sectors. He is currently focused on projects around the financing of intellectual property on a global scale, the reduction of illegal filesharing and a significant cleantech initiative.
From 2004 - 2011, he has been Chief Executive of Transpac Media Ltd, a boutique investment banking firm, specializing in the global media and leisure industries. Clients have been diversely located in India, China, the USA and the UK and covering industry sectors such as 3D technologies, anti-piracy systems, recorded music, music publishing, broadcasting, software, games, filmed entertainment, advertising and a range of "new media" and internet initiatives. In 2007, he published the first ever comprehensive guide to and profile of all 110 media companies then listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market.
Prior to Virgin, 1997–2000, Andrew was Adviser to the Asia Pacific Chairman of Joseph E Seagram, then owner of Universal Studios, involved in matters of both Universal Studios and Polygram. Andrew was also Group Managing Director of the Magna Group, 1991 - 1997.
Andrew has had experiences in media throughout North America and Asia, having advised such clients as Universal Studios, Media Asia Entertainment Group, filmmaker Chen Kaige, Beijing Film Studios, National Geographic Society, Capital Radio Group Plc (renamed to GCap Media PLC), Carlton Communications PLC, DBS Bank, Pritish Nandy Communications and many others.
Andrew currently serves on the International Advisery Board of both the Singapore Government's Media Development Authority and the UK's Open University Business School. Andrew is Chairman of the Singapore MDA Mentorship Programme, supervising a number of mentors. He is a member of the Turnaround Management Association. Andrew has been a frequent speaker at conferences around the world and has regularly appeared on Reuters, BBC-TV, CNN and CNBC.
Andrew lived in Los Angeles 1986 - 1995; and in Singapore 1995 - 2000. He now lives in Palm Beach County, Florida.