VICE APAC senior creative Hannah McElhinney selected for Spikes Asia See It Be It programme

Spikes Asia has announced the names of the 10 finalists selected to take part in the festival’s first See It Be It career acceleration programme for female future leaders. Representing Australia in the programme is Hannah McElhinney, senior creative at VICE APAC.

See It Be It is designed to help women within the branded communications industry achieve their full professional potential and accelerate their careers, whilst faced with diversity challenges in the Asia Pacific industry.

From over 150 applications received, ten of the most promising female talent from across APAC have now been selected. The SIBI cohort will take part in an inspiring curated executive learning programme of bespoke speaker sessions, executive training, mentoring, networking sessions and leadership challenges during the Spikes Asia Festival, from 25-27 September 2019, in the See It Be It Hive, Suntec, Singapore. The programme is delivered in partnership with Salesforce.

Spikes Asia See It Be It ambassador, Valerie Madon, a member of International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) and founder of Licktionary Ice Cream, will support and mentor the group, alongside SIBI leads, Knox Balbastro, Staff Content Strategist, Alibaba Group; and Lizi Hamer, Regional Creative Director, Octagon.

Says Madon: “With the ever-changing landscape of our creative business, I’m excited to see that our finalists span equivalently diverse roles. From creative directors in major network agencies to content platforms like VICE, from creative controller to cultural strategist, it’s evident that there are more hungry female talents amongst us than we think. From the quality of submissions, it is heartening to see that many weren’t just looking to hone their own skills but genuinely want to know how they can help other women in their organisation and community achieve more. This selfless act is the best wish for a program like this to create a bigger impact beyond Spikes Asia.”

Says Joe Pullos, festival director, Spikes Asia: “It’s fantastic to announce our first Spikes Asia See It Be It cohort. SIBI is a direct response to addressing gender imbalance in the creative communications industry in Asia Pacific and we look forward to seeing how the programme supports the leadership journey of our 10 talented women.”

The 10 female future leaders selected for the programme are:

• Hannah McElhinney, Senior Creative, VICE APAC, Australia
• Hui Chong Yong, Senior Planning Manager, S.E.A, ADK, Singapore
• Mai Kaneda, Senior Copywriter / Senior Experience Designer, McCann Health Japan
• Meyvi Wedelia, Associate Creative Director, Toaster Ltd, Singapore
• Nikki Sunga, Creative Director, BBDO Guerrero, the Philippines
• Paige Lee, Senior Art Director, Leo Burnett, Singapore
• Priyanka Joshi, Creative Controller, Ogilvy, Mumbai, India
• Rica Facundo, Cultural Strategist, Iris Singapore
• Sidra Salman, Associate Creative Director, Synite Digital, Pakistan
• Zara Kok, Creative / Art Director, 72andSunny, Singapore

See It Be It aims to nurture a community of like-minded women who can inspire and support others on their journey. See It Be It launched in 2014 at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and at Dubai Lynx festival two years ago, before launching at Spikes Asia this year.

For further information see https://www.spikes.asia/the-festival/see-it-be-it.