Born in Croatia and raised across multiple continents, Amira Mahathir’s journey into the Malaysian advertising industry was anything but linear.
The daughter of a diplomat, her childhood was shaped by constant movement — from Canada to Switzerland, back to Malaysia, then on to Tokyo — giving her a global perspective long before she entered the workforce. Despite this international upbringing, advertising was never part of the plan.
“I did my degree in politics,” she explains. “Government dad, politics child — it all made sense. I knew nothing about advertising, but I just decided to give it a try.”
Her first day on the job was immediate and unforgiving. Industry jargon flew past her. Acronyms meant nothing. She was thrown into meetings filled with unfamiliar terminology, tight deadlines and high expectations. It was a sink-or-swim environment, and like many before her, Amira learned by doing.
“It’s like teaching kids how to swim. They take off their floaties and put you in the deep end,” she laughs. “But I think the fun thing about advertising is that no one really holds your hand. You kind of have to hold your own hand and just do it.”
Listen to the rest of Amira’s story on The NexGen Show. Hosted by Malaysian advertising veteran Prof. Harmandar Singh, The NexGen Show is a weekly podcast highlighting young talent in the advertising, marketing, and media space.
New episodes weekly on Sunday, 7PM on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
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