SINGAPORE – In order to accelerate its growth and strengthen its integration into the multi-disciplinary Publicis Communications team in Singapore, MSL has hired Suya Kim to be its Managing Director. Kim will focus on new business development, brand leadership and working with the rest of Publicis Communications in transforming the PR agency’s offering. She will report to Publicis Communications Singapore CEO Lou Dela Pena and work closely with MSL Asia President, Glenn Osaki.
Prior to her appointment to MSL Singapore, Kim served as managing director of Essence Burson-Marsteller Malaysia, where she is credited for adding a number of global brands to the company’s retainer portfolio. Among those were GSK Consumer Healthcare that include 10 category-defining brands under four business units as well as corporate communications, in addition to LINE, Baxter, Turkey Tourism, Hong Kong Tourism, Shire, CIMB Group, SEEK Asia (JobStreet/JobsDB), DKSH, and GetResponse. In Edelman Korea, she headed Healthcare practice where she quadrupled the team’s revenue within two years.
Commenting on Kim’s appointment, Dela Pena said, “I have waited a long time to find the right person to lead the change for MSL. When I met Suya, I knew she was the perfect person to transform MSL Singapore. Her combined regional and global experiences in managing multinational brands over the years, her passion in social and digital and the changing role of influencer marketing and PR, tenacity, entrepreneurial spirit and agility have prepared her for this role.”
“Singapore plays a crucial role as a regional hub in Asia for many of our most important clients. Suya’s multinational expertise from serving 12 successful years in-house and at agencies in Korea, combined with her 3.5 years in Malaysia overseeing regional accounts, give her the exact profile that our clients want most,” said Osaki. “Suya is also a proven and passionate team builder who will help inspire and develop our talented team in Singapore.”
“I have always been an advocate of change. It is not often that one gets a chance to be plugged into an agile multi-disciplinary group like Publicis Communications. I have been looking for the next challenge in my career and the idea of transforming and accelerating the growth of MSL Singapore with the support of Publicis Communications couldn’t have come at a more opportune time,” said Kim. Her appointment takes effect immediately.
Kim added that the public relations industry has undergone, and continues to undergo, relentless transformation. “PR as we know it has morphed not only in marketing communications but also in public affairs and crisis management. Nowadays, it is all about collaboration, integration and conversion—all at once – across communications disciplines and on several platforms.”
