SHEIN nabs Match Group APAC senior comms director

Online fashion player SHEIN has appointed Charlene Lee (pictured) as its public relations director. She will report in to Leonard Lin, global head of government and public relations and Singapore country GM. Lee's role will focus on reinforcing SHEIN's corporate profile and position as a leading global fashion e-tailer.

Lee previously helmed the role of senior director, corporate communications APAC at Match Group for over a year. During her time with Match Group, she oversaw its PR for Match Group's dating app brands in the region, with particular focus on Korea and Japan, according to Lee's LinkedIn. Match Group owns Tinder, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, and Hinge, among other dating brands. She was responsible for crisis communications in the region, building up relationships with government, and law enforcement agencies and reported to the group's headquarters in the US.

Before joining Match Group, she was with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as the head of corporate communications APAC, where she led its crisis communications strategy for both employees and external stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. She handled TCS Asia Pacific’s social media handles, and launched the TCS Asia Pacific LinkedIn Showcase Page. Lee was with TCS for over two years. 

Before that, Lee was with IBM Singapore as its brand and communications lead. According to her LinkedIn, her scope of work expanded beyond external relations to include internal communications, covering crisis communication, employee engagement and executive communications, all the while driving Asia Pacific targets that land in Singapore. She was also external relations manager for IBM. Lee was also based in China where she worked with Sennheiser Greater China and Ketchum, for a total of over four years.

Meanwhile the SHEIN brand is no stranger to controversy. While it has had a monumental growth across the world, the brand has also had its fair share of PR controversies. It often stands accused of wasteful throw away fashion, with numerous allegations also being made on the low pay and long hours its workers face. Copyright theft is also another area the brand has had to navigate as designers have often taken to social to call out the brand’s products.

On the marketing front, the brand focuses its expertise in marketing to Gen Z, and aims to set itself apart with a strong social media marketing strategy featuring influencer campaigns on all social media platforms. It cited its presence on TikTok as fuel for growth. SHEIN was also reportedly mulling a funding valued at about US$1 billion recently. According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter said that SHEIN was in talks with potential investors such as General Atlantic to raise about US$1 billion, which would bring its value to US$100 billion.

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