Shu Yau (SY) is a cross-discipline creative director with over 18 years of experience in building brands through disruptive, integrated solutions across diverse media platforms.

After years in the advertising world, in 2021 he stepped into “the other side” joined SEA's leading eCommerce platform, Lazada, as the Regional Creative Lead. Curious to explore the potential of driving creativity within a brand. In 2024 he has pushed Lazada to be #1 on One Show’s Brand Side In-House ranking. Lazada is the first and only SEA company to make it to the top, also snagging their first Gold Pencil. 

Within his first 6 months, SY led a complete brand refresh with the new positioning: "Add to Cart • Add to Life." during the COVID lockdown. This set the north star for Lazada both externally and internally, laying the groundwork for all future efforts.

Over the next 3 years, he collaborated daily with the Regional CMO, Branding, Social & Media leads, guiding creative teams across 6 different markets to strengthen Lazada’s brand, and close the gap with competitors in the aggressive marketplace. He was entrusted to develop multiple pillars/channels, including Fashion and Choice (Lazada House Brand), devise campaigns that strategically reinforcing Lazada’s value proposition, capturing audience mindshare, and, of course, heightening the excitement of eCommerce’s signature mega sales campaigns.

Prior to that, he was Creative Director at IRIS Worldwide, where he led a fully integrated team, working closely with bold marketers to shape local and regional brands such as Guinness, Starbucks, Philips, Shell, and Netflix with campaigns that defied traditional advertising norms. His work garnered recognition at both Effies and Creative awards shows.

Coming from a digital background, he honed his skill in the early days at TBWA and DDB, without knowing what advertising actually meant. However, this non-traditional route allowed him to see Big Ideas through a different lens. A firm believer in achieving effectiveness through creativity, he enjoys close working relationships with brave marketers who genuinely seek something different.

Constantly questioning through the lens of ‘Why would people care?’, his work has been recognized by the likes of One Show, Spikes, APAC Effies, WARC, and more importantly, the consumers. A collaborative team player with demonstrated abilities in concept development, art direction, and leadership, his passion for driving innovation remains at the core of his professional ethos.

On weekends, he spends his time trying to please the two most important clients in his life. The 9-year-old lady boss is a tough one.