Prudential SG head of marketing Siva Jayaraj takes on new role in Thailand

Prudential Singapore's vice president, head of marketing and experiences, Siva Jayaraj (pictured), has taken up a new role in the company as chief brand officer at Prudential Thailand. In this newly-created role, he leads a team responsible for advertising, communications, PR, events, customer experience, segments and digital marketing. He reports to Pasalaree Theerasas, chief customer officer at Prudential Thailand. Prudential Singapore is still searching for a replacement for Jayaraj. Meanwhile, Goh Theng Kiat, its chief customer officer who heads the division that the marketing function is under, will have direct oversight in the interim.

In a statement to Marketing, Jayaraj said the role of chief brand officer was created as Prudential looks to reposition the brand in Thailand and integrate key customer touchpoints in a modern and customer-centric way. The role will align various marketing initiatives and help bring the brand promise to life, he added.  Talking about the marketing efforts in Prudential Thailand, Jayaraj said its focus is to reposition and grow Prudential’s brand share, serve the underserved community by accelerating its CSR efforts, and help the people of Thailand live longer and healthier lives using advanced technologies such as Pulse by Prudential.

He also said the company will be working with digital lifestyle platform, The1, to create customised digital lifestyle and health solutions based on consumers’ lifestyle preferences, health stages and protection needs. “We will use artificial intelligence to curate and offer services that are relevant and increase the quality of life for customers of both Prudential and The1,” he added.

Additionally, there are plans to grow the team in Thailand in the coming months. "We have an opportunity to grow the brand exponentially and challenge the stereotypes that people have when they think of insurance in Thailand. My vision is to create and attract modern marketeers that will have a purposeful environment to express themselves creatively and adopt a purpose-led, instead of KPI-led, way of working. I am obsessed with the concept of “awesome experiences” and I hope to create awesome experiences for my team in Prudential Thailand," Jayaraj said.

When asked what made him decide to take up the new role, Jayaraj told Marketing that it was not an easy decision to leave the team in Prudential Singapore. However, he welcomes the opportunity to do something new and create an impact in an “energetic market” such as Thailand. Additionally, he was also keen to take on a role where he can pivot the business and change the local narrative around an industry which is currently at an inflection point in Thailand.

Goh said: “Jayaraj’s appointment to a senior leadership position within the Prudential Group reflects our efforts in developing internal talent. I would like to thank him for his contribution to Prudential Singapore over the last two years. He has played a significant role in strengthening the Prudential brand through various innovative marketing campaigns and experiential events. One particular campaign, “Together, Let’s #DOGOOD”, was named one of the top 10 most emotionally engaging COVID-19 campaigns in the world.”

Jayaraj most recently helmed the role of vice president, head of marketing and experiences at Prudential Singapore. According to his LinkedIn profile, he first joined the company in 2018 as vice president, head of events and experiences. He was subsequently took on the role of vice president, head of marketing and events in 2019. Prior to joining Prudential, Jayaraj was with Nike, where he took on the role of regional manager and head of brand connections and media for Southeast Asia and India. 

Before he relocated to Singapore in 2007, Jayaraj was a national fitness consultant at Fitness First Malaysia, where he was responsible for the overall team sales budget and training revenue for the fitness department. He also held various roles in the hospitality industry, such as events and training executive/business development at Berjaya Hotel and Resort, as well as sales ambassador at Tanco Resorts. Jayaraj also had a short stint as a sales executive in media company Mines Marketing.

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