Shirley New talks about shifting mindsets in Education & Training Marketing

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For a second year in a row, Shirley New, the Director of Marketing for Taylor’s University has clinched the title for Best Marketer in Education & Training Marketing.

With over 2 decades of marketing experiences spanning multiple industries such as advertising, health & beauty and the QSR industry, Shirley is known for her fierce and focused approach towards the brand vision. She is extremely passionate and proud of all of her campaigns where she involves herself in conceptualising right up to execution to drive strong brand growth and retain leadership position.

As the Director of Marketing at Taylor’s University, Shirley is in charge of Malaysia and international markets, helming brand & performance marketing, scholarship, and experiential marketing. She has been instrumental in crafting the overall strategy for Taylor’s University to win the market.

Shirley is a firm believer in ensuring brand vision meets execution, leading into scaled personalisation of customer’s journey from online to offline.

While serving as Senior Marketing Manager in Guardian Malaysia, Shirley was responsible for new strategies to differentiate Guardian as the preferred destination for health and beauty retail.

She was also with McDonald’s for 8 years where she spearheaded the launch of McCafe and led the Breakfast segment with strong double-digit growth.

During an exclusive conversation with MARKETING Magazine, Shirley said, “The last 2 years were especially challenging as everything we’ve known about our audience has changed overnight. It was business unusual. We worked tirelessly to shift mindsets to ensure the team rise to the opportunity – unlearn and relearn everything, with speed.”

“Winning this award 2 years in a row is a testament of a strong team I have and I dedicate this to them. Marketing for the education industry requires not only a deep connection with the audience but an honest conversation about what education can do for them,” added Shirley.

We need to be able to anticipate their needs, the shift in pedagogy and the tenacity in delivering the best learning experience. When our efforts are driven to produce leaders for our country, we become more vested in doing the best we can,” Shirley concluded.

The award will be presented to Shirley later this week by IPG Mediabrands.