Deloitte SEA nabs new managing director from ad agency world

Deloitte SEA has appointed Tania Tai as its new managing director. Previously the managing director at DIABrands Malaysia, this is Tai’s first foray into the business advisory space. She held this role at DIABrands from 2006 to 2022.

In her new role, she will be with Deloitte Business Advisory which comprises the deals and strategy side of the business and will be based in the Malaysian office in her new role. 

According to Tai, her transition into the business advisory space has been an exciting one mainly because she sees strength in diversity in the company. “I love how Deloitte professionals come together bringing different talents and experiences to solve thorny business problems for some of the world’s best companies. There’s so much we can learn and share with each other. All in, we want to make an impact that matters for our clients in uncommon ways,” she said.

Regarding her move, she told A+M, "In the blink of an eye, 15 years have passed, and it was a good run. Honestly, it was not an easy decision for me to move on, but new adventures beckon.” 

At Deloitte, Tai has been spearheading duties relating to brand advisory practice and key client engagement. Her role is to build and grow a portfolio of trusted brands in Southeast Asia to unlock their full brand equity potential. Having worked with firms from multinational corporations and government-linked companies to SMEs and start-ups, Tai brings the rigor of strategy from her varied experiences to Deloitte.

It is definitely interesting to note that more consultancies are hiring from the agency world. Commenting on this unique merger of the two worlds, Tai said that traditional business advisors are compelled to level up their offerings in terms of skills, solutioning models and intelligence, to deliver tangible value to their clients in this climate of economic uncertainty. Value creation has evolved to be more collaborative and inclusive. As a result, she sees brands as part of the ecosystem that connects the dots between business and culture. “The reality of today is that the industry is converging,” she added.

This is exactly what led to Tai’s decision to join Deloitte. “I was looking for progressive alternatives to traditional, siloed models and the Deloitte growth platform emerged. There are so many branding opportunities yet to be realised in the next economy, but very few agencies are genuinely organised enough to deliver them,” she said.

Finding coherence in Deloitte’s "walk and talk" way of operations, Tai said that its multidisciplinary model created impact in the moments that really matter. “That’s when I realised that Deloitte has a ready working model that is primed for success with an impressive stable of experienced talent, coupled with the rich treasury of global resources. Deloitte is the place to be for those passionate about designing ecosystems that empower empathy and deliver that ‘wow’ factor,” she added.

Tai was also previously with Brandworks International as its director for five years. She also worked at Lloyd Northover Yeang as senior manager, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts as sales manager, and PwC as auditor. 

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