40 Under 40 2021: Edison Woo, Assembly

Edison Woo

Regional VP of organisational development
Assembly
Hong Kong

Edison Woo has had a remarkable career in digital media over the past 17 years. From the day he started his first job as a research trainee, to his current role as regional VP of organisational development, he has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s largest marketing organisations such as Unilever, L’Oreal and P&G, constantly creating award-winning work with his out-of-the-box thinking.

Woo joined Assembly (formerly ForwardPMX) in January 2020 as head of paid media for APAC and  Russia. He soon connected the North America and EMEA offices to the APAC team to support their work. This allowed the APAC division to not only recover lost revenue but achieve 24% YoY direct growth in 2020 through greater diversification of clients and expansion of service offerings into SEO and programmatic. Despite the challenges of the market amid the pandemic, Woo was able to outgrow capacity and oversaw the hiring of 45 new talents in 2020, growing the regional team by 41% and opening two new offices in Taipei and Bangalore.

In April 2021, Woo was promoted to regional VP of organisational development to lead the Assembly’s transition to a more digitally focused agency and to reinvent the agency’s approach to talent management. In just six months, he has refreshed the agency’s internal career planning programme and has grown the team by another 42% YTD, as well as maintaining a turnover rate of 28% across the region, well below industry averages.

As a leader, having a transparent and respectful environment is key. And Woo adopts an open-door approach to company developments to ensure that his team feels well informed, invested and valued for their contributions. No matter the role, from junior executives to digital directors, he takes the time to understand colleagues’ ambitions and challenges, both professionally and personally, to provide the necessary support to help them accomplish their goals.

Woo also spearheads DE&I efforts across APAC for Assembly. Under his leadership, various programs have been launched to promote greater inclusivity, most notably a 2021 cultural awareness calendar which celebrates the many local holidays and festivities across the region and brings greater awareness of local traditions and culture.