#IWD2026: Weber Shandwick's Tursiana Setyohapsari on listening first and leading with perspective

In an industry driven by constant change, strong leadership is not only about pushing brands forward – it is also about protecting the essence that makes them meaningful to people. Across Indonesia’s agency sector, women leaders continue to play a pivotal role in shaping that balance.

For International Women’s Day 2026, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE speaks with empowering women across the industry to reflect on the experiences and values that have shaped their careers. Hear from Tursiana Setyohapsari (pictured), partner and senior adviser at Weber Shandwick Indonesia, as she shares the lessons that have guided her journey.

Don't miss: #IWD2026: dentsu's Rachelle Raymundo on why empathy and intuition shape the strongest brands

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Take us back to the very start – what was your first job, and what did it quietly teach you about ambition, resilience or leadership?

Setyohapsari: My first professional role was at the ASEAN Secretariat, working as an assistant programme officer supporting regional cooperation and dialogue partnerships. It was an environment where I was surrounded by diplomats, policy experts, and senior officials from across Southeast Asia, and as someone early in my career, it was both humbling and incredibly formative.

What it quietly taught me was the importance of listening before speaking. In that setting, influence often came not from hierarchy, but from preparation, clarity of thought, and the ability to bridge perspectives across cultures and institutions.

That experience also became a turning point in my life. Working at ASEAN exposed me to the power of dialogue and public communication in shaping regional cooperation, and it ultimately helped me secure a full scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in communication studies in the UK. It was during that time that I discovered my early fascination with how communication shapes understanding between institutions and the public.

Looking back, that early experience shaped how I think about leadership today. It was my first realisation that communication is not just about messaging, it is about building trust across very different perspectives. Ambition matters, but resilience, curiosity, and the ability to understand different perspectives are what truly sustain a career over time.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Was there a defining moment in your career when you realised your voice – particularly as a woman – carried unique value in the room? What happened?

Setyohapsari: One defining realisation came during my early years advising clients in the extractive industry, a sector where leadership discussions were often dominated by technical expertise and, quite often, by men.

In many of those meetings, the conversation focused heavily on operational priorities, regulatory compliance, and production targets. As a communications adviser, my role could initially be seen as peripheral to those decisions. But over time, I realised that what was often missing from the room was the perspective of how those decisions would ultimately be understood by communities, regulators, and the broader public.

In one strategy discussion involving senior technical and executive leaders, the conversation revolved entirely around operational considerations. I asked a simple question: How will this decision build trust with the communities living closest to these operations? That question shifted the tone of the discussion. It reminded everyone that technical success alone does not guarantee legitimacy or public confidence.

As a woman advising in a sector largely led by men, it was an important moment for me. I realised that the value I brought to the room was not just expertise, but perspective, the ability to connect decisions with the people they ultimately affect. I learned that influence does not always come from speaking the loudest in the room. Sometimes it comes from introducing a perspective that reframes the entire conversation. That lesson has stayed with me throughout my career.

Leadership is not only about authority or hierarchy; it is about bringing insight that helps others see the bigger picture.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Today, as an agency leader, how do you support and challenge your team to strike the right balance between pushing brands forward and protecting what makes them distinctive?

Setyohapsari: In communications, there is often pressure to constantly chase what is new – new platforms, new trends, new narratives. But strong brands are not built on novelty alone, they are built on clarity of identity and purpose.

When working with teams, I encourage them to think of brand evolution as stewardship rather than reinvention. Our role is to help organisations evolve in ways that remain authentic to who they are and what they stand for. This means asking two questions at the same time: what must evolve for the brand to stay relevant, and what must remain constant for the brand to remain recognisable and trusted.

I also challenge my team to look beyond campaigns and tactics. In many of the sectors we advise – from healthcare and finance to energy and technology – brands operate in environments shaped by public expectations, regulatory dynamics, and societal change. Understanding that broader context allows communicators to become true strategic advisers rather than simply storytellers.

My experience working with global brands also reinforced that storytelling is most powerful when it reflects something fundamentally true about the brand. The role of communications is not to manufacture narratives, but to uncover and articulate the meaning behind them. It has become my belief that the strongest brands are not the ones that change the fastest – but the ones that evolve without losing their soul.

Ultimately, leadership in an agency environment is about creating space for teams to think critically, ask better questions, and develop the confidence to guide clients through complexity with clarity and integrity – not just executing campaigns, but shaping decisions.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: This year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Give to gain”, centres on mutual support. Can you share a moment when giving – or receiving – support changed the trajectory of your leadership?

Setyohapsari: Throughout my career, one of the most meaningful lessons about leadership has come from the idea that professional success should never be separated from social responsibility. Over the years, I have encouraged our teams to stay connected to issues that matter beyond our client work – initiatives that allow us to give back to the communities we serve. These experiences have a way of grounding us and reminding us that communications, at its best, can contribute to real societal change.

One initiative that remains particularly meaningful to me was co-founding and advocating for the national coalition to prevent cervical cancer in Indonesia. What began as part of a client engagement gradually evolved into something much larger, a multi-stakeholder movement bringing together medical professionals, patient advocates, survivors, and women’s organisations to push for greater awareness and policy support around prevention and vaccination.

The movement has stayed particularly close to my heart because, during those years working alongside remarkable women activists, I realised that many of the voices driving the effort were women advocating not only for themselves, but for future generations. Watching the coalition grow – and eventually see the government introduce mandatory HPV vaccination – reinforced for me how powerful collective support can be.

When people come together to support a cause bigger than themselves, the act of giving often becomes something that everyone gains from. Experiences like that remind me that leadership is not only about guiding teams or organisations, it is also about using our skills and platforms to help advance causes that truly matter.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: For women who aspire to lead in this industry, what is one mindset shift they must make early if they want to build both influence and longevity?

Setyohapsari: One mindset shift that can make a significant difference early in a career, particularly for young women aspiring to leadership in an industry built on trust, is moving from seeking permission to trusting your own perspective. Many talented women enter this industry with strong instincts and insights, but sometimes hesitate to voice them until they feel completely certain or fully qualified. Over time, I’ve learned that influence is rarely built on certainty alone, it is built on the willingness to contribute thoughtful perspectives, even when the answers are still evolving.

Communications, after all, is a profession that sits at the intersection of business, society, and human behaviour. No one ever has perfect clarity in those situations. What matters is the ability to observe carefully, think critically, and speak with both humility and conviction. The moment you stop waiting for permission to have a perspective is the moment your voice begins to shape the conversation.

At the same time, longevity in this industry comes from curiosity. The world around us – technology, culture, public expectations – is constantly evolving. Leaders who remain open to learning, listening, adapting – as well as understanding different perspectives – are the ones who continue to grow and make meaningful contributions over time.

Be part of PR Asia Indonesia 2026 on 15 July 2026 – the first time this regional communications flagship lands in Jakarta – bringing together communications leaders ready to redefine influence, reputation, and impact!

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