Grey Malaysia’s Hana Sudradjat + Anlyne (Yet Yun Chen) wrap-up and share highlights of LIA Creative LIAisons in Las Vegas

Grey Malaysia’s Hana Sudradjat (Copywriter) and Yet Yun Chen ‘Anlyne’ (Art Director) were two of the 125 talented young creatives, selected from around the globe, to attend the LIA Creative LIAisons training program that runs concurrently with the LIA judging week at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. Here they wrap up their learnings from the week.

1. What were your expectations coming into the Creative LIAisons program and did it live up to your expectations?
Anlyne: I came in excited to learn new things and connect with creative minds from around the world, but the experience has been completely beyond my expectations. The programme was a true eye-opener, offering raw and authentic insights from real people. It exceeded everything I hoped for and truly lived up to its promise of being “Created for Creatives.”

Hana: I was absolutely thrilled when I first heard about this opportunity. Many past participants have described it as absolutely eye-opening. It certainly is, especially when you get to access all these amazing industry leaders, from CCOs, to ECDs and beyond.

2. What were your 3 to 5 individual highlights of the Creative LIAisons program? Explain why (This can be a speaker, a session, an experience, an insight passed on to you etc)
Anlyne: The desert visit at Seven Magic Mountains was a definite highlight. Stepping away from the screens and into the real world reminded me how important it is to experience things firsthand. Creativity often comes from observing and engaging with your environment, not just sitting at a desk.

The session with Toan from NERD, Hamburg was incredibly inspiring. He emphasized that you don’t need to hide your “geeky” or quirky side to succeed. Being yourself not only leads to powerful results, but it also draws people to you for your authenticity.

One memorable insight came during the CCO Roundtables Q&A when a LIAisons participant asked how you know when an idea is truly “the one.” The response was simple but powerful: Ambition. Instead of worrying about practicality or execution, focus on what you want the idea to become. Ambition is what drives great ideas forward.

Another key takeaway was the importance of resilience. Sometimes, we’re just one presentation away from bringing an idea to life. This reminder to keep pushing, despite setbacks, was a valuable lesson.

Lastly, learning how to balance creative work and managing people was another important insight. Building and maintaining relationships in a creative environment is different from the corporate world, and hearing from industry veterans who’ve faced the same challenges provided me with much-needed guidance and perspective.

Hana: Grey London President Conrad Persons, who was a member of the Creative Strategy and Transformative Business Impact jury and also a LIA 2024 Creative LIAisons coach, is always an inspiration. He mentioned that creativity has a bit of subjectivity to it, but when you’re talking about strategy, or about transformation, there are metrics and outcomes that feel tangible, and that having both these aspects really is the best of both worlds. This really resonated with me.

A quote from Chief Creative Officer of Edelman London Emma De La Fosse also really struck a chord with me — Ideas that are brave are fragile because people can be pessimistic and fear can stop a lot of things. It’s important for us to find our team of believers; the titles don’t matter.

A session with Head of Creative & Brand Consultancy at TikTok Anthony Dever— One key takeaway that I got from this was the fact that trends are not everything. Being present on TikTok is not just about trendjacking. It’s also about being a trendsetter. Because consumers want something new, and you have the chance to stand out in a unique way.

CCO’s roundtable Q&A — There’s something that Global Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Liz Taylor talked about that I found interesting—the importance of leaders adjusting their feedback style, considering that different people are motivated by different things. It’s crucial for us, the younger generation, to grasp this, as we are the future leaders.

LIA Legend Award presented to Piyush Pandey – I was screaming (inside) when I saw former Global Creative Chief Officer of Ogilvy Piyush Pandey. It was surreal to actually see him in real life. Have always loved his work—and I shall be forever grateful to LIA for making my dream to meet him happen!

Statue Discussion Observation — It goes without saying that being able to observe the jury in action was truly a privilege. To witness how intense the debate could be, you would then realise how important it is for us to keep an open mind. Because opinions should be able to change, especially when you’re presented with a new fact, or a new perspective.

3. What was it like sitting in the back of the LIA Statue jury discussions? What did you learn?
Anlyne: Witnessing the jury discussions was a rare and invaluable experience. It was fascinating to see the passionate debates and realize that it’s okay to disagree. While creativity can be subjective, it’s still deeply human—it’s about how a piece of work makes you feel. I walked away with a better understanding of how to present and sell creative work.

Hana: One thing that stood out the most to me during the jury discussion was when a juror asked, “Are we rewarding the intention, or the execution?” and that is going to be a question I’ll constantly ask myself from now on, as it has prompted me to rethink the way I see things.

Also, the importance of diversity. Without diversity, there’s the possible danger of an idea being dismissed, or forgotten—or worse, what if it never gets executed, just simply because the idea was misunderstood?

4. What’s your advice to anyone attending next year?
Anlyne: Come with an open mind and be ready to absorb everything. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you won’t find anywhere else.

Hana: Be ready to network! And don’t hesitate to approach the individuals you want to speak to!

READ MORE LIA WRAP-UPS FROM CREATIVE LIAISONS BELOW:

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Wolf BKK’s Pandarie Somjit
McCann Singapore’s Melissa Vibar
BBDO India’s Udit Joshi