Octopus nabs foodpanda's Jaslin Goh as director of marketing, corp comms and data

Octopus Cards has onboarded foodpanda’s APAC vice president Jaslin Goh (pictured) as the director of marketing, corporate communications and data. 

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Goh said that this newly created role is part of a new structure designed to expand Octopus's management team and support the evolved mission of the New Octopus. “There are several other new roles created within Octopus businesses to form the architecture for faster growth in digital, innovation, and ecosystem,” she said. 

Reporting to Octopus CEO Tim Ying, Goh’s role is supported by general managers and deputy general managers of three functions, including marketing, corporate communications and data departments.

While Hong Kong is the core payments market for Octopus, the company is also extending its reach and engaging in strategic projects in international markets to leverage Hong Kong's transportation expertise.

In this new role, Goh is tasked with consolidating marketing, corporate communications, data and planning to ensure seamless connectivity across multiple business initiatives and products, anchored by integrated brand and strategic campaigns.

“Data is also increasingly a critical part of designing product and campaign journeys to ensure the customer experience is engaging and seamless. Corporate communications is a multiplier in the amplification of marketing campaigns and guardian of the company's reputation with various stakeholders including government and ecosystem partners. Combining the three functions is a perfect combination of strategy and execution,” Goh said.

Octopus is working with several agencies for its marketing efforts, primarily working with DDB Group Hong Kong, Ogilvy and Prizm Group, Goh said. 

Before joining Octopus, Goh served as the APAC vice president of marketing at foodpanda, overseeing 11 markets in Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines. She led the regional marketing function and collaborated closely with local marketing directors to foster growth and enhance brand affinity across the region. Prior to foodpanda, Goh was the chief marketing officer for mobile payment service PayMe at HSBC, heading the marketing, design and customer experience functions.

Upon leaving foodpanda, Goh said she would like to prioritise family while also pursuing her strong interest in expanding her focus beyond marketing to include public relations, data, and loyalty. She added that she sees significant opportunities presented by the Octopus brand.

“Moving from fintech to food tech and now back to fintech and payments in particular, it’s a great synergy of learnings across categories that is seemingly different but yet so similar in terms of customer experience and customer-centricity. I’m glad to work with so many familiar industry partners once again and contribute towards the Hong Kong economy which is really my home and will be for many years to come,” Goh said.

Don’t miss: Octopus unveils HK$68.8m lai see giveaway to boost local economy

Recently, Octopus Cards is distributing HK$68.8 million in red packets to encourage citizens to spend locally during the Chinese New Year and support Hong Kong's shift towards becoming a cashless city. 

Starting today until the end of February, Octopus Cards will hand out HK$1.2 million red packets over 33 consecutive days, totalling HK$8.88 million, along with over HK$60 million in merchant offers. Users can receive up to HK$88 in red packet money.

This distribution of the red packets will span the longest period and include the most eligible spending points ever. Octopus Cards said that based on previous promotional activities, users typically see a spending increase of 30% to 50%. The red packet giveaway aims to result in a two to threefold increase in user spending during the Chinese New Year period.

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