Jennifer Lee, the beverage marketing lead of PepsiCo in Malaysia, is named as one of the winners of the ‘Empowered Women in Marketing’. The award-giving initiative, MARKETECH APAC’s Empowered Women Awards 2023, is an inaugural effort by the digital media for women leaders in the industry.
Jennifer’s stint with PepsiCo Malaysia started with her joining the team in 2019 as a marketing manager. Soon enough, her leadership is elevated to become the company’s beverage marketing lead, a position she’s held for three years now.
Fusing creative prowess with business intelligence like a true marketing leader
To have the country’s marketing health of an iconic beverage firm like PepsiCo on your shoulders is already a feat in itself; furthermore, being an inspiring success only speaks volumes about the leadership that has been demonstrated.
There is so much to be shared about Lee’s accomplishments as the company’s beverage marketing head, but what is worth noting are the brand campaigns she’s previously led that beefed up not just the firm’s brands’ marketing performance but their soft metrics – brand awareness and customer loyalty.
One would be the brand-building campaign for Tropicana Twister. Lee pulled the stops in relevant consumer and market insights in order to achieve success for the brand through the said campaign. According to the company, the said campaign resulted in a share gain of 3.1% and a remarkable 23% increase in volume uplift compared to the previous year in the Juice category.
Meanwhile, Lee was also the driving force behind the Pepsi Blackout Hour campaign, which utilized gyroscope technology and consumer insights to drive consumption of cola with meals.
A blend of empowering autonomy and supportive guidance
In a team that inevitably demands cross-functional responsibility, a leader of marketing is given a challenge to continually engage and support team members. Jennifer, at the helm, honours both the value of allowing staff to exercise autonomy, at the same time, giving support that would drive the team to invest efforts in the right direction.
At the heart of Jennifer’s leadership approach is having a clear and compelling strategic vision for her team and the company. In achieving business objectives, she makes sure to foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment where team members feel valued, heard, and encouraged to contribute their ideas and perspectives.
Whilst setting clear performance expectations and holding team members accountable for their outcomes Jennifer never fails to recognise contributions and growth and to celebrate the success of her team.
Leading the charge in diversity & inclusion beyond marketing
Beyond being a strong advocate for gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace, this is also something Jennifer actively promotes and supports outside the corporate environment.
As a passion area, Jennifer personally pursues motorcycling and acted as a marshal for bike trips. Similarly a male-dominated area, her empowered leadership and outlook in meaningful endeavours gave way to inspiring more women to take action and grab the lead – with no holds barred.
Within her bread and butter at the beverage firm, meanwhile, Jennifer has implemented policies and practices that promoted gender equality. These are equal pay, flexible work arrangements, and mentorship programs, which have fostered a culture of inclusivity for women in the workplace.
As she moves forward, Jennifer believes in consistently creating opportunities for women to succeed in male-dominated fields. She comments, “I believe that promoting diversity and inclusivity is not just a moral imperative, but also a business imperative that drives innovation and growth.”
Check out who else made it to Empowered Women Awards 2023 Winners’ list.
