Suzy Goulding

Head of Sustainability
MSL Asia-Pacific & Middle East

Singapore

“Don't get too caught up in looking for ways to use the latest 'shiny new toy' if it doesn't help you engage and connect with your target audiences."

Newly appointed as MSL’s sustainability head for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Suzy Goulding has carved out a distinctive path as one of the industry’s foremost sustainability experts, at a time when ESG concerns have never been more pressing. Goulding previously spent more than five years driving brand purpose strategies for MullenLowe salt in Singapore, following senior roles the Umami Collective, the Ate Group and Y&R Asia.

How do you define innovation?
Always being open to a fresh and different way of approaching a PR challenge

What is the most innovative PR or marketing initiative you've seen over the past 12 months?
I love the interactive AI santa campaign developed by Herd MSL for Telstra. It uses technology to execute but it is the strong insight that really powers the campaign.

In your opinion, which brands and/or agencies are most innovative in their approach to PR and marketing?
I'd have to say my old agency salt (now part of MullenLowe Group) where finding a powerful insight was the starting point for everything, coupled with the sort of landscape analysis you would expect to see from one of the Big Four consulting firms and not a communications agency.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider to be innovative.
Joining salt in 2017 and having to get my head around a totally new approach to communications after a 20 year career of very traditional corporate comms approaches

Who do you admire for his/her approach to innovation?
A lot of people will say this but Apple's Jony Ive has always been an inspiration for the way in which consumer insight and human behaviour is considered in every aspect of product design and then executed in the most simplistic yet impactful way

How do you get out of a creativity rut?
Go for a run

What advice would you give to the PR industry around embracing innovation?
Get out of the office. Always be interested in and curious about the world around you. Become an observer of human behaviour. Don't get too caught up in looking for ways to use the latest 'shiny new toy' (yes metaverse, I'm talking about you!) if it doesn't help you engage and connect with your target audiences.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing your current job?
Trying to write a novel

Which book/movie/TV show/podcast/playlist/other cultural source has provided inspiration over the past year?
So many so providing a selection here: Book - Empire of Pain by Patrick Keefe for showing how to use great dramatic storytelling to shed light on a major social and corporate scandal. TV show - Succession, a show where every character is diabolical and yet the amazing narrative and script draw you in regardless. Podcast - I listen to so many but the ones I find really inspiring include How To Fail by Elizabeth Day and How I Built This by Guy Raz

How would you like to see work culture, and the role of the office, evolve?
I would like to see the PR industry tackle its reputation for terrible work/life balance once and for all. The negative perception (often well-deserved, unfortunately) is hindering us from attracting and retaining great talent. I personally welcome a return to office life - or atleast for the majority of the working week - because the nature of our business is all about connection and relationships and this is difficult to maintain when you're trying to brainstorm over Zoom.

How can the PR and communications industry harness innovation to make more progress on diversity, equity and inclusion?
Having more robust data on how we hire, who is attracted to the industry, why people are leaving and what do our current workplace demographics tell us about current levels of DEI will help us better understand how we can attract and retain the brightest minds.