Every individual is unique and so is everyone’s thought process. As a consequence no two business leaders think or function alike. Marketing leader Jasveen Walia’s blueprint for success as a leader is about endeavoring to inculcate key disciplines/ characteristics in her work; the foremost being motivation and enthusiasm, through which she aspires to motivate her team with positive attitudes. The next critical aspect for Jasveen is self-awareness which enables her to understand her strengthens & weaknesses and decisiveness which empowers her to make decisions quickly. The last key characteristic for success according to Jasveen is the ability to be flexible which helps her solve problems in an ever-changing workplace. A perfect amalgamation of the aforementioned key characteristics makes Jasveen an effective and successful leader.

Jasveen is currently the Director for Asian digital performance marketing firm Syndacast. She is currently responsible for managing present clients, sales and acquiring new clients for the company’s portfolio. Leveraging her expertise Jasveen has recently facilitated big wins for her organiza- tion, including being commissioned by InterContinental Fiji to run digital campaigns. She also facilitated a successful social media campaign for the Hilton Group, Indonesia market and is currently working with the Conrad Bali and many other hotels in the Asia Pacific region.

For years it has been Jasveen’s ability to evolve that has played a significant role in her success as a business leader. She began her career as an accountant, then transitioned into becoming Director for Digital Marketing Agency and is now all set to launch a new cosmetic line.

In an extensive conversation with the Women Entrepreneur magazine Jasveen spoke about her journey as a leader, the role she plays within Syndacast and her future plans.

Take us through your early educational journey and prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

I am a Singaporean and my family moved to Bangkok when I was six post my schooling in Bangkok, I pursued a Bachelor’s of Commerce with a major in Accounting from Macquarie University in Sydney Australia.

Upon graduation I located to Singapore and worked in a freight forwarding company as an Accounting Executive. But after a while I felt the urge to do something more challenging, so while working I completed a specialist Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism from Temasek Polytechnic. With this diploma in hand, I relocated back to Bangkok and joined a Hospitality Group [Compass Hospitality] as an E-Marketing Executive then followed by Assistant Social Media Manager.

Eventually I switched my job to a Digital Marketing Agency, as I felt that I needed a change with more challenges and being able to learn more skills. I started as a Client Services manager and worked my way up to now being a Client Services Director and it has been almost 10 years.

What are the various responsibilities you shoulder as the Director of Syndacast? What are your primary focus areas in terms of leading the organisation?

In my current role I am responsible for bringing performance- based online marketing services from proposal to completion phase while achieving overall client satisfaction. I liaise with the Syndacast team members on performance optimization and effective delivery of results. My responsibility is to provide oversight and direction to online media planning, best practice reviews and recommendations (development and optimization). My role requires me to have a strong strategic knowledge of effective digital media strategies and platforms, including social media, programmatic, SEM/ SEO and others. I design reports around specific client requirements including the visualization of data along with communicating clients’ requirements to campaign management teams.

I am also responsible for evaluating digital campaign efficiency, effectiveness and ROI using established measurement tools eg. Google Analytics and Facebook Insights. I collect and apply knowledge from campaigns data in order to drive innovation and guide client stakeholders in complex discussions in order to achieve a high level of client success. Lastly, I ensure accuracy for the billing and invoicing process.

Enumerate the various challenges you face as a digital marketer. What steps do you take to overcome the roadblocks that you face?

Changing consumer behaviour is forcing digital marketers to pivot their strategies, as it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with client’s ever-growing expectations and maintain a competitive edge, whilst keeping up to date with the latest technology. As a digital marketer, I face the pressure of generating traffic. By increasing the traffic to your site, you increase the possibility of convincing that consumer his or her need to buy something. These challenges can be solved by ‘Having the RIGHT content’.

What has been your success mantra as a business leader?

I believe it is important to have a clear vision and focused approach while facing challenges. A successful entrepreneur knows that their customer/client is the king. Therefore, they always think from the viewpoint of their customers so as to delight their customers and win their trust. It is equally important to have persistence & passion to execute one’s job well and value-add in whatever way possible. Learn to maintain expectations & reality as equal; and deliver much higher reality than the set expectations of the public. If things do not work, take a break and start over. You would know sooner that something was not for you. Do not follow the crowd.

“My next plan of action is to launch a cosmetic beauty line, theia beauty for which i have partnered with a makeup artist dolly khemlani”

Tell us about your future plans as a business leader?

My next plan of action is to launch a cosmetic beauty line, Theia Beauty (www.theiabeauty.com.sg) for which I have partnered with a makeup artist Dolly Khemlani. We plan to start with lipsticks first and we plan to expand to other products.

Theia Beauty was envisioned with three exceptional core values – luxury, elegance, and power. The brand’s mission to is develop luxury makeup for the contemporary individual, who is always on the go and living life to the fullest. We are dedicated to improving the confidence, self-independency & morale of women along with a touch of elegance.

I will be using my work experiences, and digital knowledge to do my best to make the line a successful one.

Drawing from your experience as a business leader, what would your advice be to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

I would urge young women to learn as much as you can in areas that interest you. Expand your mind and viewpoints by surrounding yourself with people who have had diverse experiences and different ways of seeing the world.

Always have the courage and confidence to pursue your ambition. It’s important to have the discipline to stay on your path. While you may divert sometimes, keep the definiteness of purpose strictly in your mind and have the self-discipline to get back on track. Speak to established people in this industry and learn from them. Lastly, dream big, develop a plan and dive in.

Jasveen Walia, Director, Syndacast

For years it has been Jasveen’s ability to evolve that has played a significant role in her success as a business leader. She began her career as an accountant, then transitioned into becoming Director for Digital Marketing Agency and is now all set to launch a new cosmetic line.