Campaign Brief Asia spotlight on Tay Guan Hin, APAC Regional Director at The One Club

Campaign Brief Asia caught up with the The One Club for Creativity’s newly appointed Regional Director-APAC, Tay Guan Hin, to ask him a few questions about the new role and more.

 

1) The obvious first question is why you decided to go from a CCO/Creative Chairman role to the other side of the fence with a global award show. What appealed to you about your new job?

Taking on the role of APAC Regional Director at The One Club felt like an incredible opportunity to make a bigger difference in the creative industry across Asia. I loved my time at BBDO, but this role felt like a natural next step – one that would let me help shape the future of creativity across the entire region.

My connection with The One Club runs deep. I first met Kevin Swanepoel in 2001 at The One Show China’s travelling exhibition, and that moment stuck with me. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of judging their awards, hosting Portfolio Night, contributing to their “A Creative Perspective” series and being a member of their International Board of Directors. What’s always inspired me about The One Club is their unwavering commitment to supporting creatives at every stage of their careers. It’s something I truly believe in, and I’m happy to be part of that mission.

2) What are your job responsibilities in your new role?

What I really want to do is build a strong and lasting presence for ONE Club. For me, that means forming real, meaningful connections with local agencies, creatives, and brands. I’m focused on creating regional programs that truly speak to the unique needs of the markets here, all while upholding the global standards The ONE Club is known for.

Yes, growing participation in big awards like The One Show and the ADC Annual Awards is important, but it’s about more than that. I want to create opportunities – mentorships, workshops, and networking events – that support creatives at every stage of their journey. It’s about building a community where creativity can thrive, giving people the tools and recognition they deserve to grow.

3) As a former creative director, what do you think you can bring to The One Club, and in particular, the ONE Asia Creative Awards?

Stepping into this role feels like the culmination of everything I’ve been passionate about in my career. I’ve spent years working with global brands, leading large creative teams, and judging more than 30 award shows. Each experience has deepened my understanding of how creativity connects us across cultures and networks. What I love most about this opportunity is the chance to share all my experiences with a broader community across APAC. Creativity doesn’t thrive in isolation – it grows when we learn from each other, challenge each other, and celebrate what makes us unique. The ONE Asia Creative Awards is the perfect platform for that.

For me, it’s not just about trophies. It’s about giving creatives across the region the confidence to take risks and the recognition they deserve for pushing boundaries. This isn’t just work – it’s personal. I want to help make APAC a powerhouse for creativity where ideas have no limits.

Now, I get to apply that knowledge on a larger scale. It’s about building connections, mentoring talent, and ensuring APAC’s creative community is represented globally.

4) What are your aims and priorities for The ONE Club over the next 12 months? Apart from ONE Asia, are there any other programs you want to introduce or expand in the region?

Over the next year, my focus with The One Club will centre on mentorship, nurturing young creatives, and creating more accessible opportunities for talent across the APAC region. Expanding mentorship opportunities will take precedence. For example, I aim to bring Portfolio Night, a globally renowned event, to more countries in APAC, offering young creatives direct access to top industry leaders.

I plan to include practical workshops and masterclasses on real-world skills, from storytelling to cutting-edge technology, fostering connections between emerging talent and seasoned professionals. We have already launched a Masterclass in Manila, and I plan to expand it to other countries.

Another priority is building partnerships with schools to engage students early in their creative journeys.

Programs like Next Creative Leader, which emphasize diversity, inclusivity, and championing women in the creative field, will spotlight and celebrate the region’s emerging talent.

Additionally, we are excited about planning an immersive Creative Leaders Retreat in an inspiring Asian location. This retreat will feature two tracks: the Creative Executive Summit for C-suite leaders to explore the future of creativity in leadership and the Creative Leadership Track for CDs and ACDs, designed to recharge and inspire through collaborative sessions.

Ultimately, these initiatives aim to bridge gaps, build skills, and fuel the growth of a dynamic, inclusive, creative industry across Asia-Pacific. What excites me most is the opportunity to connect people, spark fresh ideas, and help shape the region’s next wave of creative leadership. While I can’t guarantee every initiative will come to fruition, I will dedicate my best efforts to making them a reality.

5) Asia already has AdFest, Spikes, and MadStars. What does ONE Asia bring to the region, and how is it different from the other shows/festivals?

That’s a great question! Look, Asia already has incredible festivals like AdFest, Spikes, and MadStars – each with its own strengths. But what sets ONE Asia apart is its deeper mission. It’s not just about celebrating creative excellence, which we absolutely do, but also about giving back. As a nonprofit organization, we take revenue generated from awards entries and put it back into the industry. That means funding programs for education, fostering inclusion, championing diversity, and supporting gender equality.

Personally, I love how this aligns with what we need more of in the region – real, lasting impact beyond the awards night. It’s not just about winning trophies; it’s about building a stronger, more inclusive creative community. That’s the kind of legacy we’re focused on, and honestly, it’s what makes ONE Asia feel so meaningful to me.

6) You recently were on the ground at the ONE Asia judging in Manila. You have judged many shows, but what was it like to look on as an onlooker? Were any judging processes different from those of other shows you have judged?

For the first time, The ONE Asia is being judged outside of China. It started as a show in China, but after a few years, it evolved into The ONE Asia to include the APAC region. Angel Guerrero and Hong-tack Kim initiated the idea of moving the show to different countries during discussions with Kevin. This year, the event is set to take place in Seoul.

Having served as a judge before, observing from an onlooker’s perspective this time has been truly insightful. While I can no longer participate in the discussions, listening from the other side offers a fresh viewpoint. Without the responsibility of voting, the pressure is significantly reduced, allowing me to focus on learning and finding inspiration throughout the process.

The key difference now lies in the behind-the-scenes management, where fairness is central in ensuring that all entries receive the recognition they deserve. Unlike other shows, The One Asia does not have a jury president. Instead, members of The One Club for Creativity’s International Board of Directors moderated the final judging day, ensuring balanced and fair deliberations. Moderators included Reed Collins, Judy John, and Hong-tack Kim.

Additionally, The ONE Asia Creative Awards teamed up with DigiCon, the top digital convention organised by the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines (DMAP), for an event in Newport City. This collaboration brought together global experts like Angela Bassichetti from Meta, Masaya Asai from Droga5 Tokyo, Kyungsin Pablo Kim from Paulus, and myself to share insights. This partnership highlighted our dedication to celebrating and advancing creativity across the Asia Pacific region.

Also, for the first time, we ran a half-day Masterclass in Manila. The response was beyond what we anticipated. The turnout was so overwhelming that we had to move to a larger space to fit everyone in. Even then, we couldn’t accommodate all the sign-ups. Imagine that – a sold-out event at the Ayala Museum!

It wasn’t just about the numbers; it was about the energy in the room. Judy John, Masaya Asai, Daniel Kee, Thomas Hongtack Kim, Kevin Swanepoel, Issang Ceballos, and I shared stories, data, and case studies that struck a chord with everyone. These weren’t just presentations – they were insights you could feel in your gut and take back to the drawing board. Moments like these remind me why we do this – it’s about learning, connecting, and growing together.

7) You recently visited Barcelona for The One Club Executive Creative Summit? What is that like, and will we have something like that in Asia in the future?

In November, I had the incredible opportunity to attend my very first Executive Creators Summit. As a new staff member of The One Club, I was there to soak up as much as I could—not just as an observer but also as a speaker. To top it off, I was also invited to speak at the Art Directors Club of Europe. Both experiences were eye-opening and taught me so much.

Now, you might be wondering, what exactly is the Executive Creative Summit? It’s an exclusive, invite-only gathering for top creative leaders – think Chief Creative Officers, CMOs, agency founders, and partners. The heart of the summit lies in its candid, behind-the-scenes discussions about the challenges and opportunities of leading creatively in today’s high-stakes environment.

Transitioning from a creative obsessed with winning awards to a C-suite leader comes with big responsibilities – not just to your team but to your clients and the industry at large. In my session, I talked about how embracing conflict has been key to my personal brand as a creative leader. By addressing challenges head-on, I’ve found that we can inspire teams, spark innovation, and turn setbacks into opportunities for growth. It’s about aligning who we are with how we lead – and creating a shared vision for transformation.

What makes this summit stand out is the opportunity to connect with some of the industry’s most influential minds in a raw and unscripted way. It’s not your average conference. The dialogue is real and thought-provoking – exactly what we need in these times.

And here’s the exciting part: we’re working on bringing this summit to Asia! We’re in the early stages of planning to integrate it into one of the regional programs. Fingers crossed, we’ll make it happen soon.

8) What is your fondest memory from your advertising career? Why? (Or the time you enjoyed the most)

The most memorable time in my career was one of my life’s most pressurised periods. It was during David Droga’s tenure as Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore and Regional Creative Director of Saatchi Asia from 1996 to 1999. Under his leadership, the agency achieved remarkable recognition, including being named International Agency of the Year by Advertising Age in 1998. We created what I still believe to be some of the best work in the world at that time.

The environment pushed me to the edge – I had to work hard to keep up with the incredible talent around me. The pressure was intense, but my learning curve shot through the roof. That experience became the foundation for my growth, not just as a creative professional but as a creative leader. Looking back, being in the right place at the right time during such a groundbreaking era truly ignited my creative career in ways I never could have imagined.