#IWD2025: ZUS Coffee's Stephy Foong on amplifying marginalised voices in marketing

The marketing industry is a dynamic, ever-shifting landscape where trends, technologies and creative ideas collide to shape the future of how brands connect with the world. As this vibrant industry evolves, it is crucial that the people behind it are equally forward-thinking, embracing change and pushing boundaries to lead the way.

While female leaders are steadily rising to the top, there's still much work to be done to accelerate gender equality and ensure that every voice has an opportunity to be heard. This International Women's Day, A+M celebrates the voices of women who are making waves in Malaysia's marketing landscape, breaking barriers and paving the way for the future generation of leaders.

Hear from Stephy Foong, VP, brand, marketing, growth, product, ZUS Coffee on what she has to say: 

Don't miss: International Women’s Day: What 'accelerate action' means to MY marketing leaders  

A+M: What does ‘accelerate action’ mean to you?

Foong: 'Accelerate action' to me means making faster, bolder moves to achieve a unified goal, which applies throughout ZUS Coffee as an organisation and my career as a woman in the modern day.

A+M: What’s one bold step the marketing industry needs to take now to accelerate gender equality?

Foong: As we observe International Women’s Day—a day rooted in the fight against inequality—I believe the marketing industry must go beyond simply ticking the box on gender equality.

A truly bold step would be to actively champion equity for all marginalised groups.

This means not only showcasing diverse stories in our campaigns but also rethinking our internal practices.

For instance, marketing teams can commit to highlighting underrepresented voices in both their external communications and leadership structures. By creating initiatives that support mentorship, fair hiring, and inclusive leadership development, we ensure that every individual's unique talents and merits are recognised and valued. In doing so, we build an environment where equity isn’t an afterthought but a foundational principle driving meaningful change.

A good example is our collaboration with local artists such as Izzati Suza and Nas Suha is an example of uplifting talents and providing a platform for diverse talents to shine. We see so much more potential in we can achieve with this.

A+M: ⁠What advice would you give to other women in marketing who want to push for change and make a bigger impact at their workplace?

Foong: First is to probably understand what change, impact, and growth require, they require drive, hard work, and conviction; then accepting the flip side of it like sleepless nights, challenges are just the nature of the actions of bringing change.

Recognise and accept that first, then commit to the change you want to make, ask for resources, and ask to drive an initiative or a campaign.

A change can start small, and a change that has an impact is the only thing that will give us more confidence as human beings.

Lastly, don't be afraid to try and to fail, a failure teaches us more than a success, the most important thing are to keep moving forward with the lessons learned.

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