Up the ranks: Desiree Wu is regional director of operations at VML SEA and India

Effective 1 August, Desiree Wu is the regional director of operations at VML Southeast Asia and India. Based in Singapore, she'll report directly to the CEO of VML Southeast Asia and India, Tripti Lochan.

Wu has 20 years of experience in operations and people management, of which the last 11 years based in APAC. Previous employers include Qantas, Cisco Systems, and American Express. Most recently, she was director of talent and marketing, APAC, at POSSIBLE.

In her new role, she is part of the executive management team with a focus on building the VML brand to drive overall brand awareness and talent capabilities. Her responsibilities will focus around working closely with peers, clients, partners and sister agencies, to deliver a brand and workforce that will continue to exceed the business objectives set by the agency.

Human Resources connected with Wu to find out more about her goals and challenges.

Q. What is your priority for this year?

Our people are the very core of what makes our agency and the work we produce, great. Marketing and HR are inherently connected and the overall objectives channel a single outcome, building an amazing brand, both internally and externally that we all want to be a part of. We need to know what drives people and how we can best engage them, whether these are our team or clients.

Q. What is the one talent challenge that keeps you up at night?

I’m the eternal optimist, so rather than what keeps me up at night my focus is "What gets you up in the morning?" We all want to be part of a community that supports us, that we're engaged with, and ultimately one that puts a smile on your face. You spend a third of your waking hours at work so it needs to be the best environment to facilitate the best you.

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