Written by Name: Paul Soon
Role: CEO, MullenLowe Group Singapore and China
Age: 47
Paul Soon is the creative force behind the advertising agency, MullenLowe Group, having run the show as CEO for the last 4 years. In addition, he has over 24 years of experience in senior leadership roles in the sphere of marketing and advertising under his belt.
1. What are your hobbies, and best memories of them:
Collecting All Black Rugby Jerseys from the 1990s onwards. Successfully bidding for the older jerseys on ebay!
2. What is your favourite quote?
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” Napoleon Bonaparte
3. What is your favourite movie and song?
Moneyball. Come Undone – Duran Duran.
4. Where’s your top foodie spot?
Oh Deli – Manwich
5. Three words people use to describe you:
Kind, Calm, Impartial.
6. Three words you’d use to describe yourself:
Introverted. Optimistic. Resilient.
7. Last good Netflix show you watched?
SEAL Team
8. Who is your celebrity crush and why?
Alissa Milano, She’s the boss!
9. People who inspire and influence you?
My father. For the way he is passionate about teaching and educating the future leaders of Singapore. Hardworking, resilient and has a growth mindset.
10. Share a personal/life goal with us:
As cliché goes, I am constantly on the journey of being the best version of myself with the different roles I play in life
11. What was the most memorable moment in your career?
Spending eight years with Singapore Tourism Board as we ignited their digital ambitions. All this started in the mid 2010s.
12. Campaign done by others that most inspired you:
Droga5’s Junk Sleep. More about how they have created an entire brand and experience eco-system in the category of mattress!
13. Campaign done by you that you’re most proud of:
Republic Of Singapore Navy – It’s Not Crazy. It’s the Navy.
14. Peers you highly respect in the local industry:
There are just so many but I will limit to two.
I have to start with Michael Maedel, my former boss during my days in the JWT Network. Without him, I would be nowhere near where I am today. I owe him plenty.
John Hadfield for the BBH business he built over the years. And to top that off, a pure gentleman.
15. Tell us a fun fact that most of your employees don’t know about you:
As a 10-year-old, I was a singing contest junkie.
16. What do you look for in employees when hiring?
I am constantly drawn to talents that have a point of view. Willing to work smart and hard for their team mates. Have the desire to learn, apply, make mistakes and keep going forward.
17. Advice for people to become more creative?
Fight to be in an environment that gives you the best chance to be inspired, motivated, and most importantly, always account for yourself and never look to seek excuses and blame others. Own it!
18. Advice for students thinking of starting a career in an agency?
The career on the agency side can be highly fulfilling and rewarding only if you constantly have a growth mindset and have a love for working with other like-minded individuals who just want to produce the best work. This journey does require patience, resolve and a lot of laughter along the way. 90% of the time is about blood sweat and tears. But that 10% when everything clicks, there’s no better feeling seeing your work out there and hopefully that work makes a difference for good along the way.
19. Any interesting projects you’re working on?
Personally, I am currently really interested in the growth of vertical farming in Singapore. Food security is just so important to Singapore today.
20. What do you hope to accomplish at MullenLowe within the next year or so?
To continue to build on our challenger mentality and continue to establish ourselves as as a global creative node for our clients.
Related links:
MullenLowe Group
Paul Soon’s Linkedin
This post is part of our Media Industry Leaders series. If you’d like to be featured, or have a nominee in mind, please drop us a note at group@thesmartlocal.com.
