Women to Watch 2021: Lylah Juinio, BBDO Shanghai

Lylah Juinio

Managing director, global hub lead for Mars
BBDO Shanghai
China

Proclaimed as an instrumental extension of Mars' marketing team and a driving force behind the company's business in China, Lylah Juinio gets credit for BBDO Shanghai being appointed as one of only four global hubs for Mars’ brands. A Philippines native, Juinio has 26 years of experience in the industry—21 of it in the land she now calls her second home and more than 10 of it at BBDO Shanghai.

Between 2017 and 2019, as GM for Team Mars, she developed and implemented changes to the working model between BBDO, Mars Wrigley and partner agencies, which led to the establishment of the BBDO Shanghai Hub. This involved moving teams from Beijing and Guangzhou to Shanghai while ensuring that workstreams and relationships weren’t compromised. 

Prior to this leadership role, Juinio was regional business director for Johnson & Johnson and Tourism Australia.

With all these international brands, Juinio works to ensure that communication and creative offerings are locally relevant and aspirational for Chinese consumers. Under her hand, Dove, Snickers, Extra and Doublemint have all seen growth in brand penetration and relevance.

Juinio blends a strong appetite for creativity with an equally robust focus on strategy. She maintains an edge of curiosity about the ongoing media and consumer transformation in China, and sees it as her task to help clients navigate the changing landscape with the integration of data, technology and creativity—fuelled by powerful consumer and cultural truths. 

As a leader, Juinio demonstrates sensitivity and understanding of people and personalities, allowing her to work well across diverse groups. She is also a firm believer and supporter of women in the industry. She participates in Omnicom's Omniwomen initiative, a platform for women to share experiences and celebrate successes. She is also an active mentor to rising stars within BBDO and collaborates with BBDO’s University in providing courses that upskill junior staffers, especially client-management teams.