CMO Growth Council Speakers

Clay Schouest Chief Strategy Officer, APAC dentsu Clay is a cultural anthropologist and veteran strategist with a passion for brand building. He has amassed extensive experience across global, regional, and local roles in London, New York, Istanbul, Shanghai, Amsterdam, and Singapore. Clay has collaborated with prominent clients including The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, L’Oréal, and P&G. His recent experience includes three years brand-side at Reckitt, where he established an in-house creative and media team. An active industry participant, Clay served as a juror at Cannes 2021 and takes pride in mentoring emerging talents. He boasts numerous accolades, including five Cannes Lions and ten Effie Awards, an IPA and the ARF David Ogilvy Award while regularly contributing to industry publications and speaking engagements. He believes there is no greater philanthropic act than passing knowledge along.

Mimi Lu Head of Intelligence and Insights, APAC dentsu

Mimi is part of a new generation of strategists shaped by the demands of a data-driven, performance-oriented world. Having honed her expertise in two of APAC's most dynamic markets, Australia and China, she now focuses on building the APAC region as a new centre of innovation, creativity, and cultural influence.

Mimi has worked across a wide range of industries, always searching for the spark that comes from finding unexpected connections—because, after all, a mom and a B2B decision-maker often share more in common than you’d think. In her role as Head of Intelligence and Insights, APAC at dentsu, Mimi has focused on building a cultural intelligence capability that helps brands navigate APAC's diversity, the agility to succeed in emerging channels like social, and the resonance needed to drive long-term growth.

Rica Facundo Managing Editor WARC APAC

Rica is a ‘polymath storyteller’ passionate about championing creativity, culture, innovation and effectiveness in APAC. Journalist and strategist, her expertise is producing culturally relevant, holistic and human-centric thought leadership and solutions for brands, media and tech platforms.

She is a keynote speaker and moderator at major conferences such as Cannes Lions, Adfest, SXSW, Spikes, and FUTR. She is driven by the desire to ask better questions that uncover new insights and lead to more nuanced storytelling.

Richard Reid Head of Strategy, Media, APAC dentsu

A multi-capability strategist, Richard believes passionately in the impact that strategy delivers for businesses, the customers they serve and society at large. A ruthlessly succinct communicator, Richard combines capabilities in business, marketing, and customer strategy to bring clarity to the challenges that organisations face today.

At Dentsu, Richard is responsible for harnessing Dentsu’s breadth of capabilities to deliver the best solutions for our clients in APAC. His work includes Integrated Marketing & Comms Strategy, Digital Marketing and Sports Marketing.

Richard has served as the strategic lead for a diverse group of clients, including Heineken, Toyota, Samsung, Intel and Abbott.