Singapore — VIRTUE Asia has appointed Cherish Lee as Strategy Director and promoted Marie Lee to the same role, bolstering its strategy leadership as the agency broadens its focus on culture, entertainment, and intellectual property (IP).
These appointments are designed to enhance the agency’s strategic capabilities, helping brands transcend traditional campaigns and seize opportunities across cultural platforms, communities, partnerships, and entertainment.
Cherish and Marie, both equipped with extensive experience in culture, creativity, and social content, will support VIRTUE Asia’s mission to help brands cultivate long-term value within culture.
These changes coincide with VIRTUE Asia’s expansion of its regional presence and the diverse challenges it undertakes for brands. Earlier this year, the agency launched VIRTUE Arabia and is actively pursuing new opportunities in entertainment and IP.
Upcoming projects include Inside Microdramas, an industry upfront focusing on vertical entertainment growth, and V47 Entertainment, a joint venture with Goldfinch International aimed at developing and commercializing brand-enabled entertainment IP across Asia.
Huiwen Tow, Head of Strategy at VIRTUE Asia, highlighted that the evolving role of strategy requires leaders capable of understanding the interplay of culture, entertainment, communities, and partnerships in brand influence.
“The strategist of the future must grasp how culture evolves, how entertainment shapes behaviors, and how partnerships foster lasting value,” Tow said. “Cherish and Marie bring diverse experiences to this challenge, infused with the curiosity and creative ambition that modern strategy demands. As VIRTUE Asia evolves, they’ll help clients build from within culture, rather than merely participating in it.”
Returning to Singapore after 13 years in the US, Cherish has experience from renowned agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, Droga5, and Anomaly. She has contributed to brands like Amazon Music, Starbucks, and Lululemon, focusing on music, entertainment, and community.
“Coming back to Asia after 13 years in the US, I’m excited by the rapidly expanding creative possibilities here. The most compelling briefs now bridge advertising, entertainment, and experience, which is why I was drawn to VIRTUE,” Cherish commented.
Marie’s promotion to Strategy Director follows her successful tenure at VIRTUE Asia since 2024, where she has enhanced the strategic role from cultural insights to client growth and business development. She was instrumental in retaining the global Shiseido Clé de Peau Beauté account and expanding opportunities through V47 Entertainment.
With expertise in documentary research and cultural predictions, Marie’s new role will focus on leveraging cultural shifts into platforms and growth opportunities for brands.
Reflecting on her promotion, Marie remarked, “Brands today have unprecedented chances to engage in culture as creators rather than just advertisers. My journey at VIRTUE has shown me how far our strategic role has evolved. We’re now spotting cultural movements and converting them into new opportunities for brands, whether platforms, partnerships, or entertainment properties.”
