Tell us a bit about your role and how it impacts on the general public.
I am a Director in the Creative & Media team in Singapore, focusing on our creative quantitative solutions. My team work with clients across the Southeast Asian region to grow their brands through developing strong creative.
What people might not know about this role is that the decisions that your favourite brands might be making or the ads that you are seeing out and about might have been influenced by us! We work with over 90% of the global top brands so chances are Kantar is involved somehow.
How did you get to where you are today?
After finishing my degree in Sociology from Bristol Uni, I loved the idea of doing research for a living but wasn’t keen on going into academia permanently. My first step was a 6-month internship at Ipsos in Bangkok, where I had moved back to after graduating. This confirmed for me I wanted to pursue this as a career, and I applied for graduate schemes back in the UK to give myself a strong research foundation.
I joined Millward Brown (now Kantar) in 2013 in Warwick, and after a few years there, I decided to move to our London office. In 2017 the opportunity for a client-side secondment came up, and I was excited to pursue this. I loved seeing what happens after we present to our clients and gaining a much wider perspective on how insight is used within a business. I worked with a fantastic team and learned so much.
Upon returning to Kantar as a Client Manager, I worked on clients in the Brand solution area, and then in January 2020, I was promoted to Client Director. After a couple of years working through lockdown after lockdown in the UK, once the situation with Covid calmed down and the world opened up again, I was able to seek out an opportunity with Kantar in Singapore, and I finally moved out here in September 2022.
Why did you decide to move from the UK to Singapore?
Having grown up in Bangkok and loved it, I always wanted to return to Southeast Asia one day. At the same time, I loved living in London and all that that entails as a global city. From a work perspective, I enjoyed working on large international clients. Singapore gave me the best of both worlds as a regional Kantar hub located in Southeast Asia!
I was looking for opportunities there and when this one came up, I jumped on it. Kantar was a great support during my move and offered a flexible budget that I could use towards temporary accommodation when I first got here and shipping.
Even before joining Kantar, you’ve lived and worked all over the world. How has that helped you grow your career?
Understanding and working effectively with other people is so important. I’ve been able to work with people from different cultures and gain exposure to many ways of thinking. It all makes you a more rounded person with a wider perspective, which is only ever a good thing. It’s also great to notice just how many commonalities people have all over the world too and realise what brings us all together.
What advice would you give someone thinking about joining Kantar?
Just do it – there are so many resources and opportunities open to you if you know how to grab them. The wider network is amazing, with countless talented and incredibly fun people to learn from and interesting things to get involved in.