Interview with Joanna Ong-Ash

This week we meet Joanna Ong- Ash, Head of Corporate & Marketing Communications, AIA Singapore

 

What’s your golden rule?

Data. Data. Data. However big or small a marketing initiative may be, it has to be driven by customer insights and refined by marketing performance metrics.

 

Who has been your biggest influence?

My father was my biggest influence. He had strong political opinions that resulted in his incarceration in Singapore under the Internal Security Act but he stood by his beliefs and would never compromise integrity no matter the circumstance and was not afraid to take calculated risks. Today, I find marketeers compromising integrity in their strategic thought leadership when they launch marketing campaigns and lack the boldness to take risks and be innovative. 

 

What is your most hated business expression?

Low-hanging fruit. (I already detest any form of labelling but labelling customers “low hanging fruit” has got to be the worst form of assault on their intelligence.)

 

What’s the smartest business idea you’ve ever had?

I changed the conversations between our agents and customers from a product-centric one to one that begins with customers’ wellness when I launched a science-backed, insights-driven wellness program, called AIA Vitality at AIA Singapore.

 

Which leader do you admire most and why?

I admire Helena Morrissey, CEO, Newton Investment Management because of her dare-to-do attitude and her progressive efforts in championing diversity. She became a CEO at the young age of 35 years old, in a male-dominated industry, managing over 50 billion in assets while having 9 children, yet she was committed to the cause of female representation on company boards through the 30 PerCent Club.

 

What’s your favourite word?

Limitless.

 

Tell us a secret

I am an avid boxer.

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