Women to Watch 2021: Jessica Man, Sinclair

Jessica Man

Director and head of Hong Kong
Sinclair
Hong Kong

Less than 10 years after starting her career in PR, Jessica Man has achieved an impressive amount, reaching senior management at the age of 33. With previous stints at Cohn & Wolfe and Golin, she has directed some of the biggest names in consumer brands across Asia, building her 360-degree PR skills. Today, she serves as Sinclair’s director and head of Hong Kong, driving the agency’s business development and leading a team of more than 25.

Since joining Sinclair in 2017, Man has proven herself to be a key revenue driver. Between 2019 and 2021, and despite the global pandemic, she brought over 55 new business contracts to the company and this year has already achieved 215% of her Q1 revenue target and 190% of her Q2 one. She is also keen to drive credibility for client work and has secured more than 20 marketing awards in three years across Hong Kong and APAC.

Leading with a people-first approach, instead of reducing expenses on human resources during 2020’s economic downturn, Man led on expanding the company’s offerings to more service sectors and increased business by 26% in Q4 over Q3. Thankfully, team retention in 2020 remained high, with new talent hired in 2021.

In addition to driving revenue, Man is dedicated to the diversity of agency capabilities and servicing sectors. Beyond PR and social-media offerings, she has led her team in opening up more revenue streams, leveraging the agency’s content, digital and design capabilities, which achieved over 50% growth in non-PR business. As a believer in ‘PR for good,’ Man is committed to giving back to the community and fostering team morale. This passion has led her and her team to work with several companies and not-for-profit organisations, building advocacy for children’s development, public space initiatives and environmental sustainability.

Man’s down-to-earth management style has also made her a natural go-to person for professional and personal advice, and she has mentored over 25 interns and junior members in her career. Currently, she mentors five managers and consultants at Sinclair. While her business acumen and outstanding client relationships have helped Sinclair weather the tumult of 2019’s civil unrest and the uncertainty brought by the pandemic, she leads with a  ‘team first’ philosophy.