Asia-Pacific Power List 2020: Agatha Soh, Shopee

Agatha Soh

Head of regional marketing
Shopee
Singapore

Agatha Soh is an ecommerce expert at a defining time for ecommerce. As COVID-19 has forced many shops to close, ecommerce uptake has ballooned and is expected to maintain momentum in many markets. With eight years of ecommerce experience across Zalora, SingPost and now Shopee, Soh has all the tools to take advantage of this surge, and has solidified her place as one of the region’s most important marketers. 

It’s no small feat overseeing the marketing and branding strategy of the biggest ecommerce platform by traffic in Southeast Asia (according to iPrice) and Taiwan (according to SimilarWeb). Especially when competing against rivals such as Lazada, fuelled by deep-pocketed parent Alibaba.

Under Soh’s leadership, Shopee’s marketing over the past year has been catchy and loud—it screams of a brand that wants to stand out, which is important in a competitive market. 

Who could forget the appointment of footballer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as Shopee’s regional brand ambassador in 2019? Seeing Ronaldo sporting a Shopee-branded tee and dancing to the tune of Baby Shark will forever be remembered in Asian marketing history. Timed ahead of the platform’s annual 9.9 event, the video hit 35 million views online within a month of its launch and helped contribute to Shopee’s most successful 9.9 sale to date. 

Soh is also noted for driving innovative products and partnerships such as the Shopee Live K-pop Fest, a partnership with entertainment and lifestyle company CJ ENM to bring the world’s largest Korean culture festival online for the first time. Products such as livestreams and in-app games helped drive engagement to Shopee’s sale events, helping it set new annual records.

Soh can be found on Twitter at: @agathasoh_