James Keng Lim, Assistant Director Ministry of Health Singapore

A multi-disciplinary Creative Director with advertising, marketing, PR, and sports marketing experience in a 20-year career, I have a proven track record in inspiring and crafting transformative brand narratives created to influence cultures, drive evocative engagement, and build tribes around brands.

Leveraging trend-based innovation, design, critical and adaptive thinking, I create innovative business solutions that meet new requirements and unarticulated needs that empower brands and people.

Fuelled by a strong passion for the community and in response to the COVID pandemic, I am taking a brief hiatus from my career to put my leadership skills and operations acumen to contribute meaningfully to society. I currently serve as the Assistant Director (contract) for the Emergency Preparedness & Response task force in the Ministry of Health where I lead the anticipatory planning, current operations, management, and conveyancing of COVID positive and suspect patients.

Areas of Expertise:
• Brand storyteller • Strategic counsel • Thought leadership • Integrated marketing communications • Creative direction • Copywriting • Art direction • Content strategy & creation • Strategic planning • Crisis & change management • PR • Stakeholder & vendor management • APJC & EMEA experience • Adult learning facilitator, trainer & assessor

A transcultural global citizen, I am a native English speaker – conversant in Mandarin, Cantonese and Bahasa Melayu – who has lived in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Brisbane, Dubai and Amsterdam; and have amassed in-depth experience in launching brands and sparking engagements in SE Asia, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Middle East.

Entrepreneurial in spirit and in practice, I started my own agency, built its in-house advertising/social and content/public relations capabilities, and expanded its growth in Singapore, Shanghai, and Dubai. The agency was featured in the Straits Times as one of the leading integrated marketing communications agency in Singapore.

Awards Jury:
• Chairperson, Crowbar • Head of Jury, Crowbar • New York Advertising Festivals • Ad Star • Young Star • Creative Circle Awards • Google Creative Awards • Crowbar Challenge

Marketing Awards:
• Singapore Effectiveness • Marketing Excellence • Marketing Magazine• Asia-Pacific Marketing Congress

Advertising & Digital Awards:
• D&AD • One Show • Cannes • Clio • London International Awards• New York Advertising Festivals • MEDIA Asian Advertising • AdFest • Singapore Creative Circle • Singapore Outdoors • Malaysian Kancils • Mob-Ex • WebAward • Asia Interactive