Jiravara Virayavardhana, the chief executive of Ogilvy Thailand, bags an award to be one of MARKETECH APAC’s ‘Empowered Women in Agency’. The recognition initiative, Empowered Women Awards 2023, is an inaugural effort to honour empowered women leaders in the industry.
The Ogilvy veteran started her journey with the firm when she joined the team in Thailand in 1995. From there on, she has been elevated to various senior positions such as being the managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations for 8 years and managing director of Ogilvy Thailand since January 2016. It was in November 2022 that when she was inducted into the chief executive position.
Creating campaigns that bring ‘real impact for real life’
In 2022, economic conditions in Thailand brought a mix of challenges to businesses, and advertising firms such as Ogilvy Thailand, were let off the hook. In order to cushion its businesses with brands, the agency went the route of ‘creating real impact for real life’.
As the company’s chief executive, Jiravara led her team into adopting said practice of delivering meaningful impact through creative force, and these were manifested in three areas – people, planet, and performance.
The company’s growth strategy for 2022 is to regenerate growth by making real impact on creativity, operations, talent, clients, and new business. As a true empowered woman, several campaigns that brought positive influence to society were crafted under Jiravara’s watch.
One would be the campaign for the Miss Universe ‘Force for Good’ crown which marked a new era of the Miss Universe brand that continued to support diverse women to realize their ambitions. Amongst other campaigns under her leadership is the Culture to Commerce campaign for Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) which championed a new form of sustainable virtual tourism.
The four features that Jiravara swears her leadership by
Not everyone can say that they have grown to be veterans in their fields via an enduring tenure. Jiravara’s loyalty to Ogilvy has shaped a leadership that’s unique and holistic to the renowned advertising network.
Her approach to leading a team can be described in four aspects – being a cheerleader, a firefighter, a conductor, and a psychiatrist. To be a good leader, Jiravara believes that one must consistently be at the frontline in rallying one’s team to success. Meanwhile, when real challenges arise, a leader must suit up with a firefighter stance. Firefighters don’t fear the blazing fire in front of them and makes sure everyone is safe under one’s command.
Next, Jiravara as a leader is also a good conductor. At work, everyone must work in harmony, and as a conductor, she knows how to bring the best in each player. Finally, Jiravara says it is important for a leader to also act like a helpful psychiatrist – someone who’s sensitive and empathetic enough to perceive when one’s team is being challenged mentally and physically in their wellness.
“The great power doesn’t come from muscles. The heart gives us all strengths,” she said.
Working hard as an industry ally
Jiravara’s passion for the creative craft goes beyond the Ogilvy bounds. As a true ally, she has been invited to notable industry conventions and even regulatory councils to represent the industry and create meaningful impact.
She was once invited to represent female leadership in the agency field at Global Summit of Women 2022, the high-profile convention of leading women from around the world. In it, she imparted her valuable experiences in transforming traditional PR to performance PR.
Jiravara had also been part of the Superbrand Thailand Council. Together with this group, she was tasked with the elusive mission of seizing and creating new opportunities in business in a more sustainable way as Superbrand is committed to creating impact not just for their own performance but for the people and the planet.
The marketing leader comments, “No matter who you are, just let your heart powerfully conquer what you want to achieve.”
Aside from Jiravara, check out who else made it to Empowered Women Awards 2023 Winners’ list.
