Women who lead: PHD APAC's Eileen Ooi on the power of people-first leadership

This April, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE is continuing its "Women who lead" podcast series, celebrating the powerful female leaders in the agency industry across the region.

In this seventh and final episode, Eileen Ooi (pictured), APAC CEO at media and marketing communications agency PHD, which falls under Omnicom Media Group, reflects on the deep fulfillment she finds in witnessing both business and personal transformation. She also shares her perspective on balancing motherhood and leadership, emphasising that the quality of time and meaningful connection with her children matter more than constant presence.

Prior to her role at PHD, Ooi was the CEO of Malaysia for OMG for about three years.  

Don't miss: Women who lead: The Atelier & Co.'s Julia Wei on leaving a place better than before

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: You completed a degree in advertising and marketing. What was behind the choice? Were you exposed to the field before you decide on the degree?

Ooi: This one's a funny story, really. So my mom actually wanted me to take on actuarial science, because I'm generally good with numbers and I do love mathematics. But the thought of just sitting behind a desk and crunching numbers sounded really boring to me. At that point in time, I saw these cool kids who were in advertising and creative and I thought they were so cool and fun, and I wanted to be a part of that. 

My mother was vehemently against that because she thought these cool kids will party and such. She asked me if I was sure because she thought I wasn't really creative. But I went ahead with it because I'm generally quite a rebellious person. So when someone throws me a question like this, I'm like a dog and a bone, and I will want to prove them wrong. So I did advertising and marketing, and got scholarships as well. 

Lo and behold, after graduation, I did kind of agree that I didn't want to be in creative. I felt like I enjoyed the strategy, business and marketing part of things more. Not really the creative, audience insights research or even media. To be honest, I thought media was one of the most boring subjects. 

Fate had it otherwise, and I landed a job in Starcom for the P&G account. I thought it was a prestigious advertiser for me to work on. So, I stuck on with media and thoroughly enjoyed my time working on P&G and expanded my career into a regional role. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What has been a defining moment in your career, which made it clear to you that this was something you wanted to do for as long as you can?

Ooi: In the early parts of my career, it was the client recognition in terms of the great work that was being done, even though media is only a small part of marketing (but in reality, this small part plays a really big role). I realised the impact that we had as agency partners for our clients. Being in the same room to brainstorm with them, being there for their focus groups, going on the ground with them, I absolutely loved it. It made me feel like I was a part of the brand. That gave me the satisfaction to keep pushing harder and to keep driving great work for clients. 

Towards the latter part of my career as I entered into leadership roles, I realised that in the industry, the impact we have on people is very vast. It's not just impact on the direct teams who report to you, or the teams within the organisation. But it's also industry peers and media partners. The way we lead says a lot about who we are as an individual, and also the organisation we represent. Thinking back, being in agencies and being a woman in leadership, the agency life really throws multiple facets and challenges to leaders. If leaders can thrive in this environment, it will make for good leaders. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What has been the most interesting part about your career?

Ooi: To be honest, I would say it's leadership. I never pegged myself to be a leader and I never imagined that one day I would be here or be a leader. For me, the biggest gratification is to be able to see transformation in the business and in the people as well. This is something I realised when I was in my previous agency running a relatively large team on the Mondelez business. When I decided that I was going to move on to a strategy role, it dawned on me the impact I had on the people and the elevation of how they've transformed.

Until today, I still have this in my cabinet— they gave me a nice trophy that says "best boss ever". And for me, that is the cream on the cake. I mean, you can do a great plan, great pitches, all of this. But the biggest impact is the one you have on people, because that's more lasting. That's like a ripple effect. In the way I am able to nurture or guide them, they can take those lessons forward. Until today, I'm still in contact with them even though some are no longer in the industry. Until today, I am able to see them, and see how they've grown. That I think, is something that's intangible, and nobody can take that away. 

To catch to the rest of the conversation with Eileen Ooi, tune in to the Women who lead podcast series on Spotify, or listen on the go:

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!

Related articles:
PHD names Eileen Ooi APAC CEO
OMG Malaysia names new CEO
Omnicom Media Group Malaysia elevates Eileen Ooi's role