Singapore – Building a lasting career in marketing requires not only mastery of craft but also the courage to embrace reinvention. For Eugene Lee, now vice president and chief marketing officer (CMO) for APAC at CHAGEE, his journey from stewarding one of the world’s most iconic brands to shaping a rising cultural challenger reflects both discipline and vision.
In this latest edition of MARKETECH APAC’s Milestones Series, we sat down with Eugene to discuss the lessons he brings from his 15 years at McDonald’s, what excites him about the world of tea, and his vision of turning CHAGEE into a modern lifestyle brand.
From golden arches to teahouse doors
Eugene spent more than 15 years at McDonald’s, most recently serving as international CMO for the IDL segment, where he helped steer globally visible campaigns. That chapter, he says, has shaped not only his career but also his entire philosophy on marketing and leadership.
“McDonald’s has been instrumental in shaping not just my career but my entire philosophy on marketing and leadership. As I step into my role at CHAGEE, a few core lessons stand out,” Eugene shared.
The first is that localisation is everything. According to Eugene, even though McDonald’s is a global powerhouse, its success lies in behaving like a local brand in each of its 100+ markets.
“Whether through menu innovation or marketing communications, the goal is always the same—to resonate authentically with local consumers on both a functional and emotional level,” he explained.
Second, Eugene highlights the importance of empowering those closest to the customer. At a regional or global level, the role of leadership is not to police or micromanage but to set clear frameworks and build the “sandbox” for markets to play in — giving local teams the autonomy to execute what matters most for their customers.
Finally, he points to the value of leveraging the system rather than reinventing it. “Every market is unique, but challenges often rhyme. Instead of starting from scratch, the most effective leaders tap into the global network – because chances are, someone has already cracked the same problem elsewhere,” he said.
These principles, ingrained over years at McDonald’s, are now guiding Eugene as he takes on the task of scaling CHAGEE into “a truly global brand — one that balances strong cultural roots with local relevance and consumer intimacy.”
Turning leaves to lifestyle
If coffee was once transformed into a global lifestyle symbol, Eugene believes tea now stands on the same cusp of reinvention.
“Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, yet it hasn’t undergone the same lifestyle transformation that coffee has. Two decades ago, coffee was also seen as traditional and utilitarian — but thanks to bold global brands, it’s now positioned as aspirational, cultural, and modern,” he said.
This is what excites him most about CHAGEE: its mission to modernise tea culture and reimagine tea as more than just a drink but a lifestyle.
“From innovative product creations to aspirational branding, from beautiful store spaces to premium packaging, CHAGEE is elevating the category and making it relevant for today’s generation,” he shared.
On a personal level, Eugene sees this career move as not only an opportunity but also a creative renewal.
“At McDonald’s, I was privileged to steward a 60-year-old legacy brand with deeply established frameworks and global marketing beliefs. At CHAGEE, the brand is still in its early international journey. That gives me the rare opportunity to ‘write the ’playbook’—shaping CHAGEE’s positioning, voice, and perception as it grows from a rising brand into a truly global cultural icon.”
Crafting a cup of intimacy and inspiration
In an industry as dynamic as beverages, Eugene believes that “brand strength is the ultimate differentiator.”
For him, CHAGEE’s success so far lies in its ability to move beyond simply selling tea and instead cultivate a premium lifestyle brand. Customers, he notes, are drawn not just to the products but to the values the brand embodies.
“Customers connect with us not just for our products, but for what we stand for: cultural appreciation, mindful wellbeing, and meaningful connection. These values are the foundation of our emotional resonance, and they’re why people keep coming back.”
Eugene’s vision is to elevate CHAGEE into “a truly global lifestyle brand — one that feels aspirational yet locally relevant in every market.” To achieve this, he has set out three priorities:
- Build global consistency. Ensure CHAGEE’s brand DNA is articulated in a way that feels instantly recognisable worldwide.
- Empower local teams. Give each market the freedom to adapt and localise the brand DNA to connect meaningfully with their consumers.
- Reimagine the customer experience. From packaging and store design to digital touchpoints, create a journey that feels premium, modern, and meaningful at every interaction.
Ultimately, Eugene’s ambition is to take the strong foundation CHAGEE has laid and scale it “with the same discipline, creativity, and local intimacy that defines the world’s most iconic brands.”
But for him, brand-building goes hand in hand with people-building. His leadership philosophy centres on guidance, enablement, and trust.
“To me, leadership is about guidance, enablement, and trust,” he said. “A leader’s role is to set clear direction, provide the right resources and support, and then trust the team to deliver with creativity and excellence.”
Rejecting traditional top-down styles, Eugene champions a more adaptive, people-first approach. “Great leaders adapt to the needs, strengths, and motivations of each individual,” he noted.
He adds with a personal mantra: “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its life believing it’s incapable. My job is to put aces in their places — ensuring the right people are in the right roles, where their talents can truly shine.”
As CHAGEE scales rapidly, he emphasises building a culture where people feel trusted, inspired, and connected to a larger purpose. “When teams have clarity, resources, and belief, purpose-driven creativity naturally flourishes.”
Steeping a legacy, brewing the future
CHAGEE’s rapid expansion into Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines signals its ambition. But for Eugene, growth is only part of the story. True success, he believes, lies in building a brand that endures.
The key, he explains, is holding firm to CHAGEE’s three brand pillars — Culture, Wellbeing, and Connection — while allowing each market to bring them to life in its own way.
“My role is to provide clarity on the global brand foundation while giving local teams the freedom to interpret it for their consumers,” Eugene said. “It’s about striking the balance between global consistency and local creativity—ensuring CHAGEE is instantly recognisable everywhere, yet always feels like ‘our brand’ to the communities we serve.”
Asked to define “ultimate success”, he points to a vision both ambitious and long-term. “For CHAGEE, ultimate success would mean three things: becoming the global authority in tea, building a resonant lifestyle brand, and creating a business built to last — one with the ambition to thrive for the next 100 years.”
As for his own milestone, Eugene is focused on laying down the structures and campaigns that will define CHAGEE’s trajectory.
“For myself as CMO, I’d define success by the end of 2025 as crafting clear localised strategies, delivering breakthrough campaigns, and building a world-class marketing organisation that can scale CHAGEE with creativity, discipline, and passion.”
Ultimately, he frames the journey as both a professional mission and cultural movement. “Success is about elevating tea into a modern cultural icon — and building the team and brand that can carry that mission well into the future.”
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