Women to Watch Greater China 2024: Delicia Tan, Edelman

Delicia Tan

Co-CEO of Greater China, CEO of Hong Kong and Greater Bay
Edelman
Hong Kong 

Having joined the agency as a senior client executive in Singapore almost 17 years ago, Delicia Tan’s story is truly a tale of patience, hardwork and commitment to long-term success. In 2022, she was elevated to be the first Asian female CEO of Edelman in Hong Kong, while managing the Shenzhen and Hong Kong offices and building on the firm’s strategy of ‘One Edelman’ across borders and disciplines.

Last August, Tan became co-CEO of Greater China for Edelman, leading Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Under her stewardship thus far, the agency has achieved double-digit year-on-year growth with positive margins, powered by a client portfolio refresh, as well as strong momentum from new business. This includes the likes of client wins such as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Disney, KFC and OKX. 

Tan has partnered with mainland leadership to foster greater integration and realise the potential of the Greater Bay Area, significantly enhancing collaboration across teams in the process. Edelman’s Hong Kong and Shenzhen teams now work in a unified approach on clients such as Tencent Games, Lightspeed Studios and CATL. Furthermore, Tan’s ability to foster relationships with Guangzhou has also resulted in new business with clients such as Carlyle, Swire Group and the Bank of East Asia coming onboard.

Taking on her current position after a nine-month leadership gap, Tan has successfully stabilised the Hong Kong business in the post-pandemic era, motivated teams and maintained a positive work culture—all whilst growing the client roster simultaneously. As a result of such efforts, the organisation’s employee survey scores have also improved year-on-year, with turnover remaining stable at 20%. 

In addition to her work, Tan is also passionate about sustainability and DEI, and has played a crucial role in fostering conversation on sustainability in the design field in her regional remit. A regular facilitator of dialogue with both global and homegrown design leaders, architects and captains of the industry, she’s also served as Edelman’s APAC chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Outside the agency, Tan has been a key partner of the Hong Kong Design Centre since 2022. There, she has engaged with the global design community on fostering discussions surrounding circularity, and participating in the Business of Design and Knowledge of Design week platforms.

Tan also mentors rising female university students as part of the Hong Kong American Chamber’s Women of Influence Committee. She continues to be an advisory board member of the Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, as well as an industry mentor with Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies in Singapore. She also works with academics at the Singapore Management University on their Crisis and Issues Communications course at an MBA level, in the capacity of an industry consultant.

With over 20 years of experience in integrated marketing communications across the Asia Pacific region, Tan has been a 17-year Edelman veteran and a true communications maven. Having shaped messaging strategies for some of the region’s most prominent clients and only more growth on her horizon, Tan is truly one to watch in 2024.