Frasers Group Asia appoints new head of marketing for Sports Direct Malaysia

Frasers Group Asia has appointed Kelly Lim (pictured) as head of marketing for Sports Direct Malaysia, as the retailer sharpens its focus on local relevance, consumer experience and long-term brand growth in the market.

Lim officially joined Sports Direct Malaysia in late October 2025 and has since been laying the groundwork for the brand’s direction in 2026. In her role, she oversees the overall brand and marketing strategy locally, spanning brand communications, retail marketing, digital, public relations and partnerships.

Her remit centres on building brand relevance in Malaysia while supporting commercial growth across both physical stores and e-commerce. A key priority is ensuring strong alignment between Sports Direct’s global brand direction and local consumer needs.

“I lead the overall brand and marketing strategy locally, with a focus on ensuring we are relevant to Malaysian consumers while supporting commercial growth across stores and eCommerce,” Lim told A+M. “It’s about ensuring a strong alignment between Sports Direct's global brand direction and local relevance.”

Don't miss: PepsiCo Malaysia names new head of marketing for foods portfolio

Prior to joining Frasers Group Asia, Lim spent over three years as a brand activation senior manager at adidas. Her career also includes roles at Amer Sports Corporation, Al-Futtaim, Valiram and Fossil Group. Earlier in her career, she held brand management positions at Miwaki, where she worked on Paris Hilton and Bagz Bar, as well as at Niiro Media for The Smart Sense, and Padini.

Lim now reports to Dave Forsey, general manager of APMEA, and works closely with the local commercial and operations teams to ensure marketing strategy is closely aligned with business objectives. Since coming on board, Lim has prioritised strengthening the foundations for the year ahead. This includes clarifying brand direction, improving internal alignment and sharpening how Sports Direct Malaysia shows up across retail, digital platforms and communications.

Looking ahead, she said consumers can expect Sports Direct Malaysia adopting a more consumer-centric and experience-driven approach, with a stronger emphasis on local relevance. This will be reflected through enhanced in-store storytelling, deeper collaborations with brand partners and greater community engagement, particularly across key sports categories such as running, football and training.

“At its core, Sports Direct Malaysia is evolving beyond a traditional multi-brand sports retailer,” Lim said. “Our ambition is to become a sports lifestyle hub — a place where sport is accessible, inspiring, and part of everyday life for everyone."

Lim added that what excites her most is the opportunity to shape the brand’s next chapter in Malaysia by building a stronger local identity and deepening connections with consumers. “The goal is to create marketing that not only drives performance, but truly resonates with the Malaysian sporting community,” she said.

In other people movements across the marketing scene, PepsiCo Malaysia has named Debra Deyvitah as its new head of marketing for foods, effective January 2026. In her expanded role, Deyvitah will oversee the brand and marketing strategy across the snacks and nutrition portfolios in Malaysia, including flagship names such as Lay’s, Doritos, and Quaker.

Meanwhile, Dutch Lady Milk Industries (DLMI) has appointed Yashashri Vatve as its new marketing director in Malaysia, following the departure of Imun Lim at the end of 2025. Vatve joins the dairy brand from L’Oréal Malaysia, where she served as marketing director for more than two and a half years.

And last December, footwear retailer Bata has expanded the remit of its head of marketing for Malaysia, Iman Zulkifli, to also lead Singapore in a dual-market role. She now oversees brand, retail marketing, CRM, digital, social, visual merchandising, and customer service across both markets.

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