Up the ranks: 72andSunny enlists Chiew Ling Tan as director of talent and ops

Joining a small team that is growing quickly, Chiew Ling Tan has come on board full-service advertising firm, 72andSunny as director of talent and operations, with a view to anchor Singapore as the Asia base for clients, talent and partners, and expand the footprint for the company.

Tan's priority is to develop the right talent recruitment strategy and the processes needed to attain operational excellence in Asia. She commented: "I am looking forward to building a diverse pool of talent for 72andSunny in Singapore and establishing an agency environment where great creative work will thrive."

As one of the first employees in Singapore, Tan is excited to work with Johnny Tan, executive creative director for Asia Pacific; Chris Kay, managing director and partner, Asia Pacific; Mollie Hill, director of strategy; and Tan's counterpart in the Sydney office, Ngaio McCreadie.

Prior to joining 72andSunny Singapore, Tan helped open two offices in China for creative agencies - being one of the founding members to start up BBH China in 2005 and helping open The Secret Little Agency China in 2016. She has also co-founded a fashion boutique called nana & bird in 2011 located in Tiong Bahru.

“Chiewy is super smart, hyper connected, culturally astute, and I can't wait to see how her wealth of experience, entrepreneurial drive, and all-round good human-ness are going to help shape who we are in the region," commented MD Kay.

Speaking exclusively to Human Resources, Tan shared more on her assignment.

Q. Tell us about your adventures prior to joining 72andSunny Singapore.

I spent almost five years at The Secret Little Agency (TSLA) working closely with the CEO and the leadership team on agency operations and governance, talent recruitment/management as well as working with our Singapore government on how they can lend support to TSLA's UX capabilities and growth. The challenge then was to grow TSLA locally and expand their footprint to China. On the side, I was also managing my retail business nana & bird (offline and online).

Q. What is top of the priority list for you, as she begin your new talent initiatives?

Diversity is truly the key. We are looking for a diverse group of talent from different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, and skillsets to join our team in Singapore. The ambition is really to achieve "Asia under one roof," by creating a constant dynamic, interesting flow of thinking, and different points of view in the room. This diversity strategy will better the creative output which benefits us as a global company and ultimately our clients and partners.

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