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| Christina Cheang to lead Singapore
office |
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 GolinHarris
recently announced it has appointed Christina Cheang as managing
director of the Singapore office. In this position, Cheang will
oversee the growth and development of the Singapore office, as
well as the company's operations in Indonesia and Malaysia.
She will assume her new post in April.
"Christina has extensive
experience in developing and executing strategic communications
programs for a broad range of multinational clients in both the
private and public sectors," said GolinHarris President and
CEO Fred Cook. "We look forward to working with her to continue
to build GolinHarris in Asia.
Prior to joining GH,
Cheang spent six years at a Singapore PR agency where she was deputy
managing director and led the healthcare, crisis/issues management
and media training practice groups.
Before embarking on a career
in public relations, Cheang spent ten years as a journalist with
The Straits Times Press, Singapore’s leading national English
daily, winning numerous editorial awards.
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| Lydia Lee, director of GH in
Shanghai, accepts the award presented by Madame Chen, chairperson
of Nederlander New Century in China |
Nederlander New Century, the company
that brought Broadway's "42nd Street" to China,
and new client of GolinHarris, honored our agency with its "Best
Partner" award at a special ceremony at the historic Beijing
Hotel in China's capital city.
The award recognizes our Shanghai
team's role in developing and implementing a successful media
relations campaign around "42nd Street"'s four-month,
nine-city tour last year. As a result, the Broadway classic became
the talk of the town in Beijing, Hangzhou, Hefei, Nanjing, Ningbo,
Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan and Xian.
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We were extremely fortunate
to have GH onboard," stated Madame Chen, chairperson of Nederlander
New Century in China. "GH's strategic thinking, flawless
implementation and above all, passion and commitment for excellence
were key factors to the success of "42nd
Street."
Lydia
Lee, director of GH in Shanghai, was on hand to accept the award.
"We came in knowing that this was not just an ordinary project. We
took it as a mission—a mission to promote cultural understanding
between the two nations. When you think of it this way, all the sweat
and tears are nothing compared to the impact you are creating in
the lives of thousands of Chinese, and I am thrilled that our team
was able to be a part of this. We are making history!"
While
not the first musical to hit the stage in China, it was the first
Broadway production to tour the country, bringing the classic show
to Chinese audiences in first- and second-tier cities. "42nd
Street" ended its China tour in December 2007 after more than
70 performances, averaging 90% occupancy.
In addition to the impressive
media coverage—resulting in more than 1,100 print articles,
20,000 minutes of radio broadcast and 25,000 minutes of TV footage—GH
also secured in-depth interviews for Nederlander including a seven-page
story in Modern Weekly, one of the most influential lifestyle weekly
magazines in China.
| Hong Kong looks to Golin Harris
for media training |
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Hong Kong is known as the regional hub for many
multinationals and Asian corporations, and GolinHarris in Hong
Kong has built a strong reputation as the go-to firm for media
training for the leaders of these companies.
In Q4 2007, GH trained
dozens of executives from several companies, ranging in industry
from financial services to banking, retail, technology, engineering
and energy.
Good media training is not just about teaching participants
a few tricks of the trade, and it is more than mock interviews.
Executives operate in many different types of roles within completely
different industries that each relate to the media in unique ways,
so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching the finer
points of becoming a good communicator.
Before each training, GH
consultants work extensively with clients to determine a number
of considerations—a kind of diagnostic checklist. Issues
could include:
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What are the
current levels of “media savvy” among the participants? |
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Have their experiences
been primarily with print, TV or online media? |
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Have
they been interviewed in person, over e-mail, on the phone
or on camera? |
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What types of media
requests are clients likely to receive? |
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Have they ever had
any bad experiences? Good ones? |
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What is the company policy about
dealing with the media? |
Recent sessions have simulated crisis scenarios, unexpected
phone calls and even ambushes at cocktail parties. One executive
participated in a “down the line” interview, referring
to what happens when a TV news anchor in the studio interviews
an executive in a different city or country. To the viewer, it
looks like the two can see and talk to each other freely. The reality
is that the interviewee can only stare straight into a camera and
listen to the questions, often with a delay—which can lead
to all sorts of problems when reporters throw a curveball question.
Such training may sound like torture, but clients are unanimous
in their praise of the exercise. It helps them become more confident,
it helps their visibility and it makes them into much better spokespersons
for what sets their company apart. Little wonder that so many GH
clients are repeat customers!
GolinHarris has won the 2008 Greater China
public relations account for Qimonda, a leading global memory
supplier with a diversified DRAM product portfolio.
The Taipei and Beijing offices of GH each serve Qimonda, while
GH in Taipei as the account lead also manages Qimonda's communications
with regional media based in Singapore and South Korea.
| Office Move: GolinHarris in Singapore
moving up |
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GolinHarris in Singapore
celebrates the opening of their swanky new office after madly
hectic weeks of moving.
From left to right: Lara D'Souza, Lina Poa, Shaheen Malik,
Leister Neo, Celine Ng, Serina Tan, Shen Jegathesan, Arti
Dhar, Elena Tan, Patrick Keenan, Elizabeth Teo, Eileen Zheng,
Navin Raj and Michelle Low. |
The GolinHarris team
in Singapore has achieved new heights—literally.
Recently the team relocated to a new office in the same building,
but one floor higher.
The office’s address is 40A Orchard
Road, #07-00 The MacDonald House, Singapore 238838.
| Stanley Liu speaks at Taiwan university |
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Stanley Liu, general manager of GH in Taipei, speaks at National Chengchi University |
Stanley Liu, the general manager of GolinHarris
in Taipei, recently spoke to students at National Chengchi University
on the evolution of PR from traditional media communications to a
field with a growing emphasis on citizen media in which bloggers
rather than traditional media dominate public opinion.
National Chengchi
University is Taiwan's top university
in the field of communications, with three well-established communications
departments (Journalism, Radio and Television and Advertising)
and a master's program in International Communication Studies.
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