Valerie Tan

VP Public Relations, Social Media & Internal Communications
Emirates
UAE

After nearly 11 years at Emirates Group, one of the UAE’s flag carriers and the largest airline in the Middle East, Valerie Tan’s role was elevated and expanded again this spring, from divisional VP of communications – which covered public relations, social media and internal communications for the global airline Emirates and air services provider Dnata – to SVP of corporate communications, CSR and media affairs.

Based in Dubai, Tan leads an in-house team of more than 30 professionals, overseeing a support network of over 80 communications agencies in the implementation of internal and external communications activity for Emirates and Dnata worldwide. She is an advocate for female leadership and cultural diversity, and her team’s work ranges from the introduction of new fleet, to highlighting sustainable partnerships.

It is her second stint at the airline: she was previously at Emirates for six years earlier in her career, as media relations and then public relations manager. In the interim, from 2010 to 2013, she went agency-side, leading the healthcare and corporate practice at Weber Shandwick in Singapore.

Can you share a moment in your career when you saw PR's direct impact on business performance?
Emirates has been supercharging our recruitment efforts to support business growth. In January, timed for when people are looking at 'new year, new starts', we ran a campaign to inform the world that we're out to hire 5000 cabin crew in 2024, open to applicants on six continents. 36 hours after, we saw application rates spike over 200%, hitting a new daily record for applications - in the 5 digits. It's not always easy to directly attribute PR's impact on business KPIs, but when we can, the satisfaction is indescribable.

What are the communications industry's biggest challenges and opportunities in the year ahead?
Can't escape "AI" in any discussion these days - it's both a challenge and a great opportunity, and I see many agencies already investing time and resources to experiment and figure it out. In the aftermath of a bumper "election year" across so many countries, I think the comms industry will find ourselves busy reshaping narratives for stakeholders and helping audiences make sense of changes and implications.

What work from your team are you most proud of over the past year?
We've really ramped up our sustainability storytelling with multiple campaigns executed in the past 12 months. There was so much great content that we've set up a dedicated page on our media centre to showcase our diverse stories and make it easier for interested audiences to find it in one place.

How have you switched off from work and maintained wellness over the past year?
My attempts at meditation have failed. I'm trying to stick to a twice-weekly gym class routine.

Which book/movie/TV show/podcast/playlist/other cultural source has helped you get through the past year or provided inspiration?
I recently watched The Brothers Sun on Netflix, a dark comedy about a Taiwanese-American mobster family. Recommended by a colleague. I want to be Michelle Yeoh's character.

If I wasn't working in marketing/communications, I would be...
A feng shui practitioner. Maybe.