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| Malaysia’s Adriana Jute honoured by Shell |
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Shell Global Manager Henk Latour Global Manager presents an award certificate to Adriana Jute, consultant at Weber Shandwick Malaysia
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Adriana Jute, a consultant in Weber Shandwick’s corporate practice in Malaysia, was recently granted a Special Recognition Award by Shell Global Solutions for her contribution and active engagement with staff to define a charter for their organisation in the East.
Weber Shandwick was engaged in November 2006 to set up an internal communications unit for the technical consultancy arm of Shell Group regionally headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. This assignment has been led by Jute, who developed internal communications plans and procedures and provided communications counselling to the site’s leadership team. Her scope of responsibilities expanded when Shell Global Solutions merged its Asia Pacific offices (namely Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, China and Japan) with the Bangalore office to become Global Solutions East. Jute was part of a team developing a Global Solutions East Charter—a guide for Shell Global Solutions staff engaging in any business activities in the East. Additionally, she spearheaded the establishment of the new organisation’s internal communications plans and strategy.
On top of these projects, Adriana designed an online survey and conducted focus group sessions with staff and the leadership team to gather feedback on the Charter.
Five months into the project, Merrilee Gordon, vice president of GS East, launched the GS East Charter in an internal staff engagement. At the event, all GS East staff were given a mug and a notebook decorated with elements from the Charter, also an initiative by Jute.
"Adriana has demonstrated both ideas and delivery, and fully deserves this award," said Andrew Scott, GS’s internal communications manager.
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Rob Bailes
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Rob Bailes, a member of Planet 2050—our corporate responsibility and sustainability practice—at the Weber Shandwick London office, will spend a three-month secondment in Hong Kong and Shanghai to provide corporate responsibility training and insight to colleagues and clients. His support in the region will be key as more and more clients seek better and smarter communications advice on macro-issues such as corporate responsibility and sustainability. |
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Elsa Wen
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Elsa Wen, associate director of the technology practice in Taipei, was hosted by the technology team in Beijing, China, for two weeks in March 2008 as part of Weber Shandwick’s Asia Pacific Exchange Programme.
The exchange was an important knowledge-sharing opportunity for Wen and the Beijing technology team, who worked closely on client accounts and other projects during her exchange.
“It was an incredibly valuable experience for me as I work with the Beijing team on many regional accounts, such as Microsoft and Nortel. It was also a great chance to get involved in new business development. To be based in the Beijing office for two weeks has led to greater cooperation and understanding between our offices—and on top of it all, it was a really enjoyable experience,” Wen shared. “I’m looking forward to hosting Beijing team members back in Taipei!”
Meet Jessica Richards, a senior consultant in Sydney and this edition’s featured advocate.
How did you get into PR?
I studied journalism and realised I didn't want to get stuck working at the local paper, but wasn't the type to be a hard-nosed, door-knocking hack either—so I decided PR was a better option as I still got to write.
What do you do at Weber Shandwick?
I work in the corporate practice in the Sydney office (with a view of the Harbour Bridge from my window!) and work with clients including The Royal Bank of Scotland, The GPT Group and Habitat for Humanity Australia. We recently launched The GPT Group's $470 million Rouse Hill Town Centre, which was a challenging but very rewarding project.
What is your greatest achievement (personal or professional)?
I was very excited to get a first class degree at university, but on a less serious note, I have a massive fear of being underwater so am proud to have survived a scuba diving lesson.
What person (alive or dead, industry or non-industry) would you most like to work with?
From an industry point of view, working with tabloid PR man Max Clifford would be quite amusing for a day. I bet he'd have a LOT of stories to tell!
What’s the best book you’ve read recently and why?
I recently read “Child 44” on holiday. It was quite heavy-going but one of those books I just couldn't put down.
Who is your favourite band/singer?
I don’t really have one favourite, but I really like Amy Winehouse's “Back to Black” album for chilling out on a Sunday afternoon.
What has been the most memorable moment in your career?
As a PR professional I never thought I'd have to spend a day in the back of an ambulance, but as part of my initiation into the London Ambulance Service Media Office I had to do a shift with an ambulance crew—it was quite an eye opener!
Tell us something that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you.
I used to be dance-crazy as a child and did tap, ballet, jazz, Latin American and ballroom. I even dressed up as the Elephant from “Jungle Book” for one breathtaking performance!
What location would you most like to visit next on a holiday and why?
I love Hawaii, so I'd like to go back and visit because it's got a great vibe, but I'd also like to go on a safari in Africa. I'm a bit of a travel-addict.
How are you an advocate?
I work with Habitat for Humanity Australia, a not-for-profit housing organisation that is trying to put housing affordability on the map and helps build homes for families in need. The whole Sydney office acted as advocates when we left our desks and picked up some tools to help on a build last year.
What words do you live by?
I don't have one particular phrase but there's a book called “The Little Book of Aloha,” which comes to mind when asked that question. It is a lovely collection of Hawaiian proverbs which are quite inspiring and make a lot of sense in life.
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| Eric Thain |
Wendy Loh |
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| Helen Zhang |
Jeremy Liu |
Eric Thain, globally recognised as one of PRNews’ “15 to Watch” in 2007, has stepped up to be director of the consumer practice in China. During his tenure, he has significantly expanded the consumer practice portfolio, positioned the practice as a key player in the industry and inspired impressive business development and results.
Wendy Loh has been promoted to associate director of Beijing’s corporate finance practice. She has contributed greatly to the practice’s and the office’s growth, serving as senior-level counsel on various accounts as well as leading programmes for issues and crises management for major clients.
Weber Shandwick Beijing’s technology practice has announced two senior promotions as the team continues to grow with new client wins and service offerings. Helen Zhang, responsible for technology clients in the security, services and clean tech arena, has been promoted to account director. Zhang leads work for the Beijing technology practice’s largest client, Symantec, as well as new client, Energizer. Jeremy Liu, who leads client work in consumer electronics, including Microsoft Windows Mobile, has also been promoted to account director. Liu supports one of Weber Shandwick’s largest technology clients in Asia and worldwide, Microsoft.
For the 2008 Global Exchange Spring programme, Adeline Lee, a senior consultant at the Weber Shandwick Singapore office, has been selected to work in the Beijing office for six months. Lee has worked at Weber Shandwick in Singapore for the past four years in the technology practice, working on clients such as Microsoft, Siemens and ExxonMobil. She has excellent media relations skills and has played a role in securing top stories with leading media. Fluent in English and Mandarin, Lee is considered a multi-market specialist, which makes her extremely valuable in servicing clients. She hopes to share best practices with the local clients and Weber Shandwick colleagues in Beijing.
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