This month, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE is running its Women Who Lead podcast series in conjunction with International Women’s Day, spotlighting female leaders across the region’s agency landscape. The series unpacks leadership journeys, hard-earned lessons, and what meaningful progress truly looks like across marketing, advertising, and communications.
This fourth episode features Naiyen Wang, managing director for Southeast Asia at We Are Social, who reflects on stepping into leadership while raising young twins, and why giving others opportunities matters more than ever.
Listen to the full conversation here on YouTube:
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As a market lead, Wang describes her role as being accountable for “the growth of the agency, the reputation of the agency, and obviously the talents” within it. Leadership, she admits, is a constant balancing act. “It’s very hard to keep everything at the same level all the time,” she says, noting that tough decisions are sometimes necessary “for the general good.”
Motherhood reshaped that perspective. Wang had her twins in 2018 and returned to work during maternity leave to support a pitch, something she says she genuinely looked forward to. “The reason I was able to do that was because there was a strong support system,” she explains, crediting family and her helper for enabling her to continue building her career. Hybrid work arrangements have also made a difference. “It does help a lot,” she says, adding that flexibility benefits “both mom and dad, or people handling caretaking.”
Still, she is intentional about setting boundaries. “A non-negotiable is that I always try to be home for dinner with the kids,” she shares.
In line with the International Women’s Day theme of giving to gain, Wang believes leaders should create more pathways into the industry. She hopes agencies can look beyond linear CVs and “give people opportunities” even if their backgrounds are adjacent or unconventional.
While progress has been made, she believes more can be done to make workplaces truly inclusive, from practical support such as maternity facilities to ensuring fathers are equally empowered. “Men have a big role to play,” she says. “There’s a lot to be celebrated within our industry, and there’s a lot to be achieved.”
Also catch the podcast on Spotify:
Tune into the rest of this conversation on your favourite podcast platforms, by searching up Marketing Connected. For all the visual people out there, we’ve got your back as well, with our vodcasts on YouTube.
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Women who lead: ‘I’m in the business of serving clients,” says Publicis Groupe’s Amrita Randhawa
