Global marketing agency VMLY&R has appointed Bernadette Chan as Regional HR Director, Asia.
A seasoned HR leader, Bernadette brings with her more than 20 years’ experience working as a trusted HR advisor and partner to blue chip Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and Government Linked Corporations (GLCs) across the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
In her new role as Regional HR Director for VMLY&R Asia, Bernadette will lead the agency’s Regional HR team, and be responsible for the Asia network’s overarching HR strategy, providing tactical HR support for its business operations and capital initiatives across Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China and India.
As a key member of VMLY&R’s Asia Regional Leadership team, Bernadette will work closely with the agency’s Country Heads and Co-CEOs Tripti Lochan and Yi-Chung Tay, to help evolve the HR capabilities in Asia to build a connected employee experience. Bernadette also joins VMLY&R’s Global HR Leadership team, where she will have involvement in the creation of global HR transformation initiatives.
“Core to who we are is our people and our culture, says Tripti Lochan, Co-CEO for VMLY&R Asia. Our people are the most important component of our ability to deliver the best solutions to our clients and with more than 20 years’ HR experience, having Bernadette at the helm of talent leadership is going to leap-frog our ability to attract, develop and retain the best! I am delighted to welcome Bernadette to the VMLY&R family and am excited about the impact of Bernadette’s leadership on our business.”
Bernadette’s role will help to support VMLY&R’s go-to-market strategy to provide its clients with the most relevant and contemporary agency offering in the market today, focused on six key pillars: Commerce, Advisory, Experience & Technology, Data & Insights as well as Brand Stewardship and Content & Media Innovation.
Prior to joining VMLY&R, Bernadette was Head of Group Human Capital with Times Publishing Group, a role she held for almost five years. In this role, she was responsible for the leadership and execution of the Group’s business goals, working closely with the CEO, senior leadership team and board of directors to build, reinforce, and engage organisational capabilities as a critical business lever.
Before this time, Bernadette was Corporate HR Vice President for MediaCorp for eight years, and Corporate HR Manager for ESPN Star Sports for just under three years.
Commenting on her appointment, Bernadette said: “VMLY&R has positioned itself as an unstoppable force in the marketplace, redefining the agency model by enhancing its capabilities, in line with its commitment to meeting and exceeding client demands. A little less than a year since the merger and the agency has already carved out a unique identity, which is backed up by strong culture and values. The HR Community in VMLY&R is made up of passionate professionals who thrive on inspiring human connections that matter. It’s not just about what we do, it’s also about HOW we do it. We believe a culture of connectedness begins with a culture of feedback. It all starts from the inside out – putting everything we are into everything we do. Their positive and fresh approach is inspiring, and I very much look forward to helping them to operationalise this approach so that VMLY&R leadership, teams, and their clients reap the well-deserved rewards.”
