Marriott International names new APEC vice president for communications

Marriott International has named Wong Ching Yee (pictured) as its new vice president for communications in the Asia Pacific region, excluding China.

In this role, Wong will work alongside John Toomey, chief sales and marketing officer for APEC, and Tricia Primrose, chief global communications and public affairs officer, to contribute to the strength and growth of Marriott's portfolio of brands, according to a LinkedIn post by Wong.

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Wong will be responsible for leading the overall communications strategy for the organisation and its portfolio of brands in the APEC region. She will also spearhead various APEC executive senior leadership media profiling strategies as regional spokesperson for the company.  

The appointment comes as Marriott International continues to grow in the region. Wong’s leadership role will be critical in elevating the company’s corporate reputation, building positive brand awareness, and showcasing the strength and growth of the brand’s portfolio in the region, according to the brand in a job posting on LinkedIn. It also seeks to influence positive perceptions of the company’s loyalty programme, Marriott Bonvoy, among new and younger customer segments. 

The company’s corporate communications, including strategic public relations (PR), internal, crisis, and ESG communications will come under Wong’s care. She will also oversee brand PR, integrating it with overall consumer marketing plans and communications objectives. She will also be responsible for developing and leveraging key media relationships in the region as part of the media relations strategy. 

Wong will also serve as a key liaison with the organisation’s global communications and public affairs department, providing strategic communications counsel to various departments in APEC and globally. 

Prior to this appointment, Wong held various communications leadership roles regionally. She was previously pan-regional PR director for APAC at Netflix from 2021 to 2023. In this role, she spearheaded the strategic direction of the regional team to create integrated brand PR campaigns and storytelling to drive Netflix’s brand awareness, reputation, and business objectives in Asia. 

Before that, she was head of communications for APAC at Instagram from 2014 to 2020, during which she led cross-functional brand outreach, planning and strategy for key markets in region.  

Marriott International has recently seen new movements in leadership, beginning with Toomey’s appointment in August. He succeeded Bart Buiring, who took on a new role as managing director, luxury, for Greater China. Toomey's appointment aims to position the company for future growth in the region and tap into its leadership pool to better meet localised needs and support customers, associates, and owners. 

Toomey was charged with overseeing the consumer strategy for Marriott International in the region, including brand management, marketing, sales, distribution, revenue management, loyalty, customer experience, digital and communications. 

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