Leading the charge: Hearts & Science's Rochelle Chhaya on embracing discomfort

The marketing and advertising industry is a rapidly shifting realm where emerging trends, technologies, and creative ideas come together to reshape how brands communicate with its audiences. As the landscape evolves, it’s crucial for those in agencies to stay ahead of the curve — embracing change, exploring new possibilities, and challenging the status quo.

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, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE celebrates the voices of women who are making waves in Singapore's creative, media and advertising landscape, breaking barriers and paving the way for the future generation of leaders.

Hear from Rochelle Chhaya, CEO, Hearts & Science Asia Pacific and Omnicom Media Group Thailand, on what she has to say: 

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

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: How do you define leadership, and how do you believe women bring a unique perspective to leadership roles?

Chhaya: Leadership, to me, is a humbling journey of vision, empathy, and action. Success for every individual lies in mastering the balance between competence and influence. A truly successful leader, however, understands that to drive impact, you must hire people more competent than yourself, ensuring that you can influence decisions, inspire, empower, and enable action towards a common vision.

While strong leadership is ultimately genderless, women do bring a unique dimension. This includes balancing strategic thinking with emotional intelligence.

We are naturally wired to lead with empathy, collaboration, and inclusivity.

MARKETING-INTEARCTIVE: What were some of the most significant challenges you've faced as a woman in the industry, and how did you overcome them?

Chhaya: That is an interesting question, especially with the power of hindsight. When I started in digital, I often found myself as the only woman in the room, and with that came a self-imposed pressure to constantly prove my credibility. I was fortunate, however, to have incredible male and female bosses who taught me that my perspective wasn’t just valid—it was essential.

Looking back, I now recognise how lucky I was to have leaders who encouraged me to lean into my strengths and helped me become aware of unconscious biases, including the unnecessary pressure I placed on myself. The biggest lesson was that confidence and resilience grow when you build a strong support network and, most importantly, when you uplift others along the way.

Having champions—both male and female—who advocate for diversity has been instrumental in breaking barriers.

I see it as my responsibility to pay that forward.

MARKETING-INTEARCTIVE: What is one bold step you are hoping to take to 'accelerate action' in the industry?

Chhaya: Bold is indeed what we need to be. We need to be bold in how we drive structural change in mentoring, sponsoring, and advocating for women in advertising. It’s not enough for each agency to just have women in leadership roles. We need to ensure that across agencies, at all levels, women feel empowered to express their opinions, challenge the status quo, and take up space confidently.

It would be incredible to implement a structured sponsorship programme across agencies where senior leaders take active ownership of developing and advocating for high-potential women while maintaining sensitivities and confidentiality. While that might be ambitious, at the very least, within our own agencies, we must recognise that sponsorship goes beyond mentorship. Sponsorship ensures that women don’t just have a seat at the table, they are part of the conversations that shape the future and are supported in environments where they feel safe to speak up.

I feel proud to be part of an agency network such as OMG. Our leaders genuinely walk the talk. Whether you look at our regional team - with strong senior leaders such as our OMG APAC CFO Chan Ching Yi, OMD APAC CEO Charlotte Lee, PHD APAC CEO Eileen Ooi, and myself as part of the team with our OMG APAC CEO Tony Harradine - or the OMG CEOs across markets, there is a balanced distribution of strong men and women leaders. Representation here is not just a checklist, it’s a commitment. However, representation alone isn't the finish line. 

True progress is when leadership isn’t defined by gender but by capability, vision, and impact.

The boldest action we can take is to create an industry where the next generation of women leaders no longer need to fight for a voice because it’s already heard.

MARKETING-INTEARCTIVE: What advice would you give to women starting their careers in the industry who want to make a meaningful impact and stand out?

Chayya: First, embrace discomfort because that’s where real growth happens. The moments that challenge you, stretch you, and make you uncomfortable are the moments that shape you. Lean into them.

Second, accept that you cannot give 100% to everything, all the time. Know your priorities in the moment, learn to focus, and be okay with de-prioritising what doesn't serve you right now. Having a ‘Do not do’ list every week has been the only way I’ve stayed sane while balancing the demands of both personal and professional life. Learning to let go of the unnecessary is just as important as taking on more.

Third, mentorship can come from anywhere, both men and women. Some of my biggest supporters and mentors have been men, and I strongly believe that success isn’t a solo journey. Seek out mentors who will challenge and guide you, but more importantly, build relationships with sponsors and people who will advocate for you when you're not in the room.

Finally, manifest the leader you want to be. The way you think, speak, dress, and carry yourself influences how others perceive you. Confidence isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room, it’s about owning your space with conviction. Know that your perspective is valuable, and don’t wait for permission to share it.

Join us this coming 23 - 24 April for #Content360, a two-day extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging The Norm; Technology For Transformation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!

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