Women to Watch Greater China 2022: Leya Teo, Edelman

Leya Teo

Vice president
Edelman China
Shanghai

With more than 14 years of marketing and communications experience to her name, Leya Teo today leads a team of 20 at Edelman China to spearhead corporate reputation growth for clients like 3M, Mars, Fung Group, SC Johnson, OPPLE Lighting and Volvo, among others.

Having spent time in Edelman offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai working on multiple global clients, Teo is a familiar face to many as a regional client leader across the Edelman network and a top performer in driving business performance and people management. 

Testament to her success in driving business performance, in the past year Teo was promoted from director to vice president, China sector lead. From an original team of four, she went on to lead a team of 20 in eight months, looking after increased revenue of 15 times across China. This transition came during a challenging period, but Teo managed to navigate the difficulties and led the team to multiple business pitches with a winning rate of 85%. 

As a leader, Teo's influence and impact has grown beyond one office and her own team. This includes winning a Samsung pitch which she led with the Korea team, a huge win for the company and a first in many years for this account. Her ability to steer executive conversations to drive organic growth in accounts like Mars Wrigley has also opened doors beyond China, to be ultimately chosen as APAC lead to nurture growth opportunities in seven other markets. 

An advocate for nurturing the younger generation, Teo leads Edelman’s Global Women Equality Network—an initiative to foster an environment where employees of all backgrounds can enjoy equal opportunities to grow, lead and succeed in and beyond Edelman. Starting small, Teo created a bi-weekly series of bite-sized tips and materials to educate and influence before moving on to kick-start a series of ‘Lean-In Circle’ sessions to empower and encourage. She then initiated and drove a local mobility programme to reward outstanding employees with a desire to excel, giving them an additional personal development opportunity that would further client work and their career. 

With her strategic thinking in driving strong business growth, matched with her outgoing personality and inspiring leadership style, it's little wonder Teo has been described as the ‘Wonder Woman’ of Edelman China, a fitting title for an unstoppable talent.