Group of senior marketing executives depart SingTel

Lydia Ng, digital marketing manager, who manages digital marketing for campaigns and social, has given notice. Two months ago, Leya Teo, senior manager, digital campaign marketing, departed for a regional account manager role at Cheil Worldwide. Both Ng and Teo reported to Miguel Bernas, SingTel’s director of digital marketing.

Lovey Chin, brand director, has also reportedly left the company. Chin reported to Yohan Buse, the telco’s vice-president, consumer market.

Bernas did not respond to email requesting comment. Buse declined to comment on specifics, but said that SingTel does not share details on employee matters with external parties. "As part of our efforts to strengthen our core business while growing new digital services, we will continue to grow, develop and review our resources, including our talent pool, to meet our business needs," he added. 

The latest departures have come as a surprise to SingTel, which has been at the forefront of digital marketing innovation. Bernas has consistently talked about the use of social media to create strong connections with consumers. At this year’s Spikes Asia festival, Bernas was frank in saying that as a large corporation, SingTel lacked warmth and wanted to be “more loved”. SingTel teamed up with Twitter and used conversations on the social network platform to resolve consumer problems.

Earlier this year, it even tried its hand at viral marketing when it invited tweets from consumers by asking them about situations in which high-speed 4G connections would be most helpful. It partnered with comedian Hossan Leong and the best suggestions were turned into improve comedy skits and were published on YouTube and promoted on Twitter. 

Update, 25 November: We have corrected two mispelled names, Leya Teo and Lovey Chin.