Interview: Former Edelman SG chief Julia Wei takes CEO role at The Atelier & Co. Holdings

Julia Wei (pictured right) is taking on the role of CEO with The Atelier & Co. (TAC) Holdings. With a presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, and China, TAC Holdings is renowned for its work with some of the world's most prestigious brands and individuals.

Notable past clients and projects include the DIOR Café pop-up in Singapore, the Singapore Art Week opening party, a benefit gala for former U.S. President Barack Obama as well as engagements for the likes of Citibank, DBS and Visa. The company is also behind the world’s largest drone reveal show for heiress Kim Lim and the annual Christmas Atelier market.

An accomplished business leader in marketing, creative and communications including her most recent tenure as CEO of Edelman Singapore, Wei will be tasked to spearhead the company’s growth. Largely, she will be responsible for operational success, strategic expansion, and growing the firm’s influence in the luxury segment.

Her extensive industry experience, particularly in business-to-business (B2B) partnerships, will be directed in expanding the team’s capabilities and deepening client relationships. Her focus will be on the company’s three brands: The Atelier & Co, The Floral Atelier and The Wedding Atelier.

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In the new role, she will be working closely with Lelian Chew (pictured left), founder of TAC Holdings and Sarra Chhoa, executive director. She will be responsible for operational success, strategic expansion, and growing the firm’s influence in the luxury segment.

“I am excited to partner with Chew and Chhoa to lead TAC Holdings into its next chapter of growth,” said Wei. “I have long admired Chew’s vision and the brand’s ability to create world-class experiences for the ultra-luxury segment. I look forward to further elevating our work, strengthening partnerships, and expanding our breadth of services in this space.”

“Wei represents TAC’s foundational commitment to deepening and strengthening our capabilities in delivering strategic, creative and executional excellence for clients. I look forward to working closely with Wei and Chew on the firm’s strategic initiatives, development and growth of our people, and to realise incredible bespoke experiences for our clients,” said Chhoa.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Wei shared that she and Chew share a close personal friendship, dating back 30 years including their time in junior college where Julia was the publicity manager for Chew’s campaign running for student council. This then led to her informally consulting TAC Holdings for over a decade, supporting key milestones such as The Wedding Atelier’s Hong Kong launch in 2014 and The Floral Atelier’s Singapore launch in 2015.

Chew, who continues as founder and creative lead for the business, said, “I'm thrilled to have Wei on board to help further strengthen our capabilities and deepen our client relationships. Having been my sounding board and confidant from the very start, there has never been anyone else in my mind for the role of CEO. Together, we'll be a force to be reckoned with in the luxury experiential space, and I can't wait to create magic together for our clients."

Experience in the industry that triggered the move

Wei has had an impressive career in the public relations and advertising industry. Most recently, she held the role of CEO of Edelman Singapore for two and a half years.

In 2020 she was managing partner of AKA Asia and was the vice-president, integrated communications (regional) at Lazada Group in 2019. She was also a general manager at The Secret Little Agency and the director, head of consumer practice at Edelman Singapore in the earlier parts of her career. When asked what her numerous stints taught her, she said, "Each has helped dimensionalise my development and growth in a different way, and each has taken me one step closer to better understanding what my strengths are and what I love doing."

"What I’ve learned about myself through the years is that I love working with founders. My time with AKA and TSLA were particularly rewarding helping founders reach their next stage of growth. Now, I look forward to doing this with Chew – and also having a personal stake in the future of the business," she added.

Looking back at her career, she added that most of her appointments have been based on relationships and a partnership-driven approach. With TSLA, Lazada, AKA Asia, her second tenure at Edelman as CEO and now The Atelier & Co, Wei was approached through people she's worked with in the past or have a familiarity with. This has helped her decide on which roles to take on - both in and out of the industry - as well as fueled her to try new things.

"When people approach you for a role, they likely see desired and complementary strengths and skills in you, as well as shared values and vision for what we want to achieve. With that basis of trust, it's a strong foundation for a growth mindset and making leaps together," said Wei.

"I'm someone who's always sought the freedom to forge my own path and solutions, which is probably why I've always been drawn to independents. With this comes a need to have clarity at all times - your guiding principles and strategic objectives, and also the flexibility and action-orientedness to continue to rescope your responsibilities to see where you can add most value," she added.

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