Julie Lee Chin (julie@on1000hills.com) | +65 9666 6569 (SGT) | +1 415 568 8565 (PST)

Julie is an experienced strategist, marketer and manager of global brands in Singapore, the Asia-Pacific and beyond. She formulated strategies for branding, retail development, marketing communications and customer service at Cirque du Soleil, Nokia and Swatch. There, Julie ensured continual brand awareness and improved brand position vis-à-vis competitors of all sizes. In addition to managing marketing budgets over SGD 1 million to optimise spend in advertising, media relations, events and below-the-line promotions that maximised brand awareness and sales revenue, she also led sales and marketing teams to achieve annual revenues in excess of SGD 20 million and healthy bottom lines. With Julie helming the partnership with Fuji Television as a presenting partner, Cirque du Soleil successfully opened a 13-month tour of “Saltimbanco” in Japan. Occupancy was almost 100%, profits from merchandising were record-breaking and brand awareness attained an unprecedented level for a new market. 

Besides retail management, sales and marketing, Julie is practised in building new-to-market brands and establishing a strong presence for them in Singapore. She was an integral part of the opening teams for the Takashimaya Department Store, Singapore’s largest, as well as the iconic national arts centre, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Besides merchandising, marketing and sales management, Julie was also instrumental in setting up the shopping mall, front-of-house, box office, customer service, venue rental and hospitality operations at Esplanade. With extensive experience in retail and venue management, Julie has measured the pulse at multiple customer touch-points across a wide spectrum of products and services. This informs her creativity as a brand strategist, and has sharpened her ability to anticipate and overcome the challenges of fast-changing retail and brand landscapes. 

Julie obtained a distinction for her MBA in Retail Management from the University of Stirling. Her Bachelors degree is from the National University of Singapore, where she majored in Economics and Japanese Studies.

Chin Hock Seng

Seng is a decorated former diplomat with a quarter century of service in protecting and advancing the interests of one of the world’s smallest countries. Of the many roles he has performed in different cross-cultural settings, spokesmanship and incident management have been among the most important. From ‘big picture’ to ‘fine detail’, he has worked behind the scenes and on the frontlines of summit-level meetings on both the apex policy and operational fronts. In his time as the youngest Chief of Protocol in the Singapore Foreign Service, he oversaw work to ensure the successful conduct of numerous Presidential visits, functions and congresses at the Head of State level. As Director of Public Affairs of the Asia-Europe Foundation, Seng was responsible for multinational branding and strategic messaging. He was appointed the Director of Operations for the 13th ASEAN Summit and associated meetings with leaders of the major powers in Singapore. In his last two assignments as Consul-General in Mumbai and then San Francisco, he strengthened his expertise advising both foreign and Singapore SME’s on the features and resources, as well as differences and challenges in the operating environments they would encounter.

Before entering public service, Seng got his start in the private sector with the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Carl Karcher Enterprises and Nordstrom. Brand, product, service, positioning and advocacy have always been part and parcel of his work. Both in and outside the workplace, he has also been active as a trainer, mentor and reformer of organisational culture.

Seng graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from the University of Oregon. He earned his Masters in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of London. While with the Singapore Foreign Ministry, he also led the Directorates for Southeast Asian and, later, for North American And European Affairs.