Amelia Peng, the business director for Malaysia at Lion & Lion, is one of the winners under 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.

Peng has a wide range of leadership experiences revolving around strategic communications and marketing. She started off with roles in agencies such as JWT Malaysia, Naga DDB, and Leo Burnett. She then took the role of head of marketing at online book store BookXcess before shifting to Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution for a senior role in strategic communications. Prior to her current role at Lion & Lion, she was a client service director for GrowthOps.

Blending exceptional leadership and business forward-thinking skills to achieve agency success

As a market leader with a wide experience in strategic leadership, Peng shows a trifecta of an effective leader: exceptional leadership, management and business development skills. With this, Lion & Lion has viewed her as an invaluable asset to the agency and pushed them towards new business heights.

Under her leadership, she has helped her team secure and diversify offerings for current retainer clients as well including AIA, and integration of Lion & Lion’s range of services which included diversification of the service portfolio and increased value delivered to clients.

Moreover, she has been vital in renewing accounts for its clients Tropicana and Kellogg’s, all thanks to her maintaining strong relationships with clients. She has also pursued big clients such as Red Bull, leading to successful pitches and later on, positively impacting company revenue.

As the business director, and market leader for the Malaysian team, Amelia has made an indelible mark on Lion & Lion in 2022. Her contributions are remarkable, as she has led and expanded the client servicing team for the Malaysian market, paving the way for growth.

Strong and intelligent, yet emphatic and compassionate: the true definition of a leader

Peng’s leadership style is deeply rooted in her belief that leading with empathy and compassion, combined with strength and intelligence, is key to driving a team towards success.

As described by her colleagues, she was able to create a work environment that empowered people to do well while setting clear standards. Moreover, she was also instrumental in bridging the gap between departments, something that is often challenging in agencies, especially with creatives.

Other colleagues note that Amelia strikes a balance of hard and soft skills, which influences the team to achieve that balance as well, even in tough situations. She encourages critical thinking and pushes boundaries to think of new possibilities, opportunities, and solutions on the spot, confidently and with no hesitation.

She believes that using your heart to lead with compassion and your head for strength and intelligence is key to effective leadership. She strives to create a work environment where everyone feels empowered and supported, encouraging the team to think outside the box and challenge the status quo.

How to make leadership more far-reaching and inclusive

While many individuals focus on their personal achievements, Amelia’s impact is far-reaching, as she has dedicated her time to producing the next generation of compassionate and capable account servicing professionals. Through her leadership, she has encouraged her team to speak out with confidence, to make mistakes, and to grow. Her emphasis on treating all individuals with respect has helped to create a work environment that promotes equality and encourages team members to support one another.

In terms of advocacy, she supports a wide range of interests including animal welfare, environmental sustainability, as well as mental health.

Meanwhile, in terms of empowerment, she is a firm believer that everyone has a voice. However, she understands that some people may be too scared or intimidated to make their opinions heard – especially females. That is why it is important to her that she takes extra steps to empower her team to be vocal and have their voices heard.

“Never put a limit to what you can achieve. Never allow someone else to determine your worth. Go above & beyond, believe in yourself as a person, unbounded by gender,” she said.

In short, Peng is a true inspiration for many – she has achieved remarkable success in her

career and is a loving mother of two children and one furkid. She is a strong advocate for gender equality and believes that both men and women should be given equal opportunities and respect.

You can check out other winners of the Empowered Women Awards 2023 aside from Peng.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – SEA-focused digital marketing agency Lion & Lion has announced two new leadership appointments for its Malaysia and Singapore units. They are Amelia Peng, the new business director for Malaysia, and Hendero Fin, the new business director for Singapore.

Both will report to John Campbell-Bruce, Lion & Lion’s regional managing director, and will focus on creating and strengthening client relationships in their respective markets while ensuring that the finest of data-integrated creative solutions remain at the core of all client services. 

Peng joins Lion & Lion as the newest member of the senior management team. She has been involved in branding and advertising for more than 15 years, working for both the client and agency sides. For several businesses, including Petronas, Grab, Nestle, Proton, AIG, Shell, Astro, and Maybank, she served as team leader for the client servicing division. After building her experience in branding and advertising, she spent a few years leading the marketing and strategy teams for companies like Disney and BookXcess before putting her attention back to what she truly loves – advertising. 

Meanwhile, Fin, who after managing Lion & Lion’s Indonesian market for almost two years, has relocated to Singapore to oversee the agency’s client servicing there. During his tenure as the business director of Indonesia, Fin oversaw the growth of the market with new wins such as biotechnology company Novozymes, and consumer brands Cool Air and Doublemint under Mars Wrigley. 

Fin is an advertising veteran, with 12 years of experience split evenly between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. He has managed clients from a range of industries, from telecommunications to consumer products. His portfolio includes well-known Indonesian and international brands such as Diageo, Indosat Ooredoo, Marlboro, Lazada, and Redoxon, as well as Mars Wrigley. 

Commenting on her appointment, Peng said, “It’s been such a warm welcome to the den. I thoroughly believe that a happy and engaged team will be inspired to do great work. Such a team requires a good leader who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty while leading the team through challenging times. Armed with my experience, I can’t wait to learn more from my team members. I am also confident that we will be able to enhance Lion & Lion’s status as a place where impactful and meaningful solutions are created for our clients.”

Fin also commented, “I am embracing this new role for two great reasons ‒ personal growth and to bring Lion & Lion even further ahead in Southeast Asia. I aim to grow Lion & Lion’s business here in Singapore, and in the near future, introduce a hub and spoke model to our potential clients in the region. Because of the multiplicity of nationalities and cultures we represent, our people are our most valuable asset, giving Lion & Lion an advantage in offering seamless and comprehensive solutions to our clients.”

Meanwhile, Campbell-Bruce said, “Amelia has integrated well with the Lion Malaysian team. She has quickly established herself and is already driving the business forward. We are very happy to have her on board and I am excited to see how she will help continue the agency’s rise in 2023 and beyond, in line with our expansion strategy.” 

He added, “Fin has been a strong leader for the Indonesian business over the past two years. He came in as a client director, and quickly established himself as an effective marketer and leader. He has shown great determination, talent and smart business acumen, which saw him promoted to business director. I am extremely excited to see him continue his development and take over the helm of the Singapore market, which is a core market for regional networks like Lion & Lion.”