Tech MVP 2022: Tomy Chan, Publicis Groupe

Tomy Chan

Managing director, head of tech
Publicis Groupe
China

An innovator to the core, Chan joined Publicis Group China in 2017 and has fast become a figurehead for the next generation of tech talent within the industry in China and beyond.

Over the past four years since joining Publicis, he has built no less than six key product suites all from scratch, which in turn has led to a four-fold increase in data and tech project revenue for the Groupe alongside business wins and great recognition from clients.

Among Chan's most successful products is Creative Vault – an industry first digital content monitor to automate competitive analysis. As the product architect, Chan has addressed a genuine gap in industry competitive monitoring and analysis through computer vision and machine learning, streamlining creative asset evaluation and providing the fastest level of competitor tracking through robotic process automation (RPA). It helps clients to be more responsive to competition and has received great appreciation from the C-Suite level. Creative Vault is in the process of being exported out of APAC to other regions, an example of the new breed of tech solutions conceived and developed in China.

Other products include Tardiis APAC, a well proven omni-channel budget and reach optimization tool, as well as Growth.OS – end to end planning management that connects audience insight, budget allocation and optimisation to performance tracking.

Collectively, Chan's products have revolutionised the Publicis offering in China across media and communications planning, workflow, reporting automation and consumer insight. Beyond his homegrown products, Chan has also implemented external solutions with partners to address client and Publicis internal needs.

Tech MVP jury members were particularly impressed with Chan's prolific product building capabilities, notably with his Creative Vault product that has addressed a genuine gap in industry competitive monitoring and analysis through computer vision and machine learning.

Recognised for leading with a human and empathetic approach, Chan has built his team to 50+ members in just four years. His data and tech team have one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the business, and is highly diversified compared to industry benchmarks. His team holds an almost perfect 50:50 male to female ratio, balances age groups with team members up to 55-60, and includes diverse education backgrounds from high-school grads to PhDs. Chan has also been highly active in nurturing the young generation through the Publicis Groupe China Academy, sharing sessions and mentoring. 

With his can-do, pioneering attitude, Chan has driven tangible innovation that is creating value and building competitive advantage for Publicis Groupe China. Successfully blending intelligence and empathy, Chan has managed to consistently grow and retain his team all while being a role model to many young minds.