Tay Guan Hin is a visionary leader in the global creative industry, known for his exceptional ability to combine strategy with creativity. With decades of experience working with iconic brands like Visa, Unilever, and Audi, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation. Now, as the APAC Regional Director for The One Club for Creativity, Tay Guan Hin is focused on elevating the creative landscape across Asia Pacific. His leadership, marked by deep insights and a passion for nurturing talent, continues to inspire and shape the future of the advertising and creative industries.
In an insightful conversation with Besteverad, Tay Guan Hin shared his vision for enhancing the ONE Asia Creative Awards and fostering greater collaboration and innovation across the APAC region. His commitment to building a connected creative community, alongside strategic partnerships and regional initiatives, underscores his passion for the future of creativity in Asia Pacific.
Under his leadership, The One Club’s presence in the APAC region is set to grow significantly, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of creativity in the region.
Besteverad: How excited are you to take on the role of APAC Regional Director? How will your experience help you succeed in this new position?
I’m extremely excited to be part of The One Club, the world’s foremost nonprofit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. I’ve worked with them in various ways over the years, serving on awards juries, participating in their “A Creative Perspective” video series, and hosting the annual Portfolio Night to help prepare young creative talent to enter the industry. Those programs gave me a taste for how the organization supports all levels of the creative community, and I’m energized to bring the club’s programming to more countries in APAC.
In terms of my pastrole, I gained diverse perspectives after working in numerous global network agencies, many of which I contributed to as part of the Asia and Worldwide Creative Council. I’ve also been a judge for more than 30 different award shows—from global to regional to local—which has exposed me to how creativity is interpreted across cultures. These experiences taught me to see things differently and helped me collaborate with people from various backgrounds, identifying common threads that connect us.
As the President of Asia Professional Speakers Singapore, I organized many events, conferences, and conversations. Building a strong community is key to leveraging our collective strengths, and that understanding will be instrumental in my role now as APAC Regional Director. These roles have provided me with a deep well of knowledge, and my experience will serve me well in this new position.
Besteverad: Can you share some details about the new initiatives you plan to launch for The One Club for Creativity in the APAC region?
ONE Asia isn’t just another awards show; it’s a celebration of APAC’s creative brilliance.
One initiative happening in October to strengthen connections within each local creative scene is to hold ONE Asia judging in a different country each year. While shifting judging locations brings challenges, the rewards—a growing network of creative professionals across the region—are invaluable.
Manila is our first stop, choice because, for the passion and strong sense of community, it offers. Every part of the process, from the call for entries to the design of judging materials, has been proudly handled by several boutique Filipino agencies, including GIGIL, Leron Leron Sinta, Sgt Pepper, and Tony &. This is a testament to our commitment to supporting local independent agencies.
Also new this year, ONE Asia will make its mark as part of the 2025 Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings, cementing its growing regional prestige.
Additionally, we’ve partnered with DMAP’s DigiCon, the Philippines’ top marketing and digital event, from October 15-19. DigiCon is a hub for cutting-edge trends and digital innovation.
In line with our mission to elevate regional talent, we’re launching the ONE Asia x adobo magazine Masterclass in Manila. This transformative session will occur on Monday, October 14, at The Astbury, Makati City. I’m excited to see its impact on the creative community.
Beyond these upcoming initiatives, I will work with the organization’s teams in Shanghai and New York to bring many of The One Club’s existing programs to APAC.
Besteverad: What will be your main focus when it comes to the ONE Asia Creative Awards and other regional initiatives?
I believe creativity has no boundaries. It’s all about embracing diverse voices and perspectives, which is exactly what ONE Asia is about. We’re here to celebrate each culture’s unique creativity while building a connected creative community across the region. It’s about honoring local cultures and bringing people together.
Having worked in global agencies for years, I’ve seen firsthand how much incredible talent across the Asia Pacific. I’m excited to help bring this community even closer. We’ve already got a strong foundation, and I can’t wait to explore new ways to inspire, connect, and innovate together through collaborations and programs that matter.
Besteverad: How do you plan to support and encourage the creative community in the Asia-Pacific region?
Beyond ONE Asia, I’ll focus on promoting The One Club’s premiere global awards like The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, and the Type Directors Club competitions. These are some of the world’s most prestigious and highly respected competitions, having run for 51, 104, and 71 years, respectively. My goal is to make sure the best work in APAC is elevated and celebrated on the global stage at those shows.
Another way to support and encourage the creative community in APAC is to bring other One Club recognition programs to the region, and put the global spotlight on teh amazing talent it has.
For example, The One Club supports young talent through programs like the Young Ones Student Awards and Young Guns honoring creatives age 30 and under, celebrates emerging women creative leaders through Next Creative Leaders, and helps young talent looking to break into agencies with the annual Portfolio Night, which takes place on the same date in dozen of cities around the world. For commercial filmmakers and production companies in APAC, I would love for them to be celebrated at the ONE Screen Short Film Festival.
There’s a lot of potential for growth for these and other programs in APAC. I’m excited about initiatives from The One Club’s Creative Development department, including ONE School free portfolio program for Black creatives, ONE Creator Lab for young diverse creators looking to get jobs at agencies, and Creative Leaders Retreats and Executive Creative Summit for more senior-level creatives.
These programs are all about building a thriving, connected creative scene across the region, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.
Besteverad: What has been your best-ever ad campaign, and what made it stand out as exceptional?
Over the years, I’ve worked on numerous memorable campaigns, but two stand out during my time as Creative Chairman at BBDO Singapore. Both were for blue-chip clients, centered around strong ideas and took a digital-first approach.
One such campaign was for Visa. Post-COVID, Singapore saw a surge in online payments, yet many small businesses still relied heavily on physical transactions. Visa sought to help these businesses transition to eCommerce.
We created the “9×16 Stores” campaign, using vertical videos to reflect the cramped physical spaces of local shops. Through Visa’s tools, these businesses were transformed into thriving online stores, illustrating the boundless potential of mobile commerce. The mobile-first strategy resonated perfectly with Singaporeans, where 94% of mobile usage is vertical. This campaign won awards and helped solve a real-world challenge, driving significant growth for Visa’s small business clients.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1QIOMOm9zKA
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lt5Z3DwQLMQ
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HL3YDY_-jpA
The second was for MOH Holdings, designed to inspire the next generation to pursue healthcare careers. We integrated healthcare into the popular game Fortnite, replacing combat with life-saving missions. Players navigated a virtual Marina Bay in Singapore, using ‘chug splashes’ to heal and win. We reshaped how young people viewed the profession by turning healthcare into a thrilling gaming experience. This innovative use of Fortnite’s Creative Mode sparked conversations about healthcare and left a lasting impact on Gen Z.
https://www.fortnite.com/@vysena/5708-7062-2539?lang=en-US
Both campaigns succeeded by blending creativity with a deep understanding of digital behavior and culture.
Besteverad: What initiatives have you undertaken to include underrepresented countries in award shows?
A great thing about both ONE Asia and The One Club’s global awards programs including The One Show and ADC Annual Awards is they offer a completely level playing field, regardless of agency size or location.
We pride ourselves on having the industry’s highest, most rigorous judging standards, with Jury Presidents and members of the club’s Board of Directors participating to ensure the judging process is impartial and non-political. That means any entry from any agency based in any country – including those that may be underrepresented – has 100% equal footing and opportunity to be judged strictly on the quality of the work. Those shows typically have winners from 50-60 countries each year.
In terms of helping underrepresented creative individuals get ahead in the industry, The One Club has a number of programs aligned with that goal. These include the ONE School free portfolio program for Black creatives to bring greater diversity to the industry, ONE Creator Lab to provide underrepresented creators with the tools they need to get jobs at agencies, and Next Creative Leaders to identify and celebrate creative women on the rise. In addition, the Type Directors Club and Young Guns programs offer scholarship and grant programs targeted at young diverse creative talent to help them to advance their careers.
These and other club programs can be adapted and expanded in APAC.
To ensure these efforts are effective, we can localize the content to address regional challenges, offer ongoing mentorship, ease financial barriers, and amplify participants’ work on global platforms to create lasting impact.
Besteverad: How can award shows create opportunities to include underrepresented countries, especially from the third world, where budget and entry fees pose significant challenges?
There are certainly ways to help. For example, both the ADC Annual Awards and Type Directors Club TDC competitions have tiered-pricing systems which offer discounted entry fees based on size of the agency (with greatest saving for small studios, and solo practitioners/freelancers) or by country. The One Show has also offered discounted entry fees based on the exchange rates of local currencies with the US dollar.
Another example is the Kyoorius Creative Awards in India: for their 2024 event, if an entry doesn’t make it to the First List, they give back 50% of the entry fee. It’s a small gesture, but it helps support the creative community there.
Awards shows could also team up with international NGOs or companies to offer grants or scholarships. These funds could cover entry fees and other costs, especially for creatives from countries with limited resources. It’s a way to give emerging talent a real chance to shine.
Besteverad: What is the process for establishing a new club or chapter in a region where one does not currently exist?
While most One Club chapters are based in the US, we do have The One Club-Cairo and an extended network in Europe as a result of its February 2024 merger with the Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE). Chapters are typically made up of agency creatives in a given city. Anyone interested in learning more about chapter opportunities can contact The One Club Membership department at info@oneclub.org.
Besteverad: As a leader who has been part of both large agencies and independent creative boutiques, what’s the most unexpected challenge you’ve faced in building and leading creative teams?
When I first started leading creative teams, the challenge was balancing creative freedom with enough structure to keep things on track. While big agencies often had too much structure, independent shops lacked it. I realized the key was not to choose between them, but to blend the best of both worlds.
By introducing agile frameworks, we created space for creativity while staying aligned with deadlines and goals. Regular check-ins and a culture of open feedback helped ideas evolve and stay on course without stifling creativity.
The most important lesson I learned from this experience is the need for adaptability. Different teams and situations require different leadership approaches. In my new role as APAC Regional Director for The One Club for Creativity, I’ll bring this mindset to help foster a space where creativity can thrive across a diverse, global community. The One Club is about celebrating world-changing ideas and connecting artists, writers, designers, and technologists. It’s about creating environments where creativity and business success meet.
What excites me most is the opportunity to blend creative freedom with structured support, especially in a nonprofit that reinvests in nurturing talent. I will focus on building stronger connections within the global creative community, encouraging a dynamic exchange of ideas between established markets and emerging trends.
I want to continue creating spaces where diverse, fresh perspectives can flourish and where creativity becomes a driving force behind both personal and business growth.
As we look toward the future of advertising, innovation, and collaboration will be key drivers of success. With leaders like Tay Guan Hin at the helm, the creative community in APAC is poised to thrive through strategic partnerships and a commitment to fostering talent. Together, we can build a vibrant ecosystem that inspires fresh ideas and groundbreaking campaigns.
Wishing everyone a happy weekend! Let’s recharge and prepare for creativity and possibilities!