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Singlife’s group head of brand, communications and marketing Debra Soon has exited the insurer after five years, closing what she described as “one of the most memorable chapters” of her career.
In a farewell LinkedIn post published on the eve of 1 September, she reflected on the significance of the date throughout her professional life, noting that it marked both her first day at Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) in 1992 and her first day at Singlife in 2021.
“This September 1st, I close one of the most memorable chapters of my career. It’s time to write a new one,” she said.
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Looking back on her tenure, she thanked Singlife chairman Ray Ferguson, board members and Sumitomo Life’s leadership, as well as Singlife Group CEO Pearlyn Phau, whom she credited for encouraging and supporting her in helping to build the Singlife brand, culture and story.
She also paid tribute to the colleagues and team she worked alongside over the past five years, describing the period as “tumultuous, challenging, energising, improbable, incredible and fun”.
According to Soon, her role evolved beyond a traditional CMO remit, with brand, communications and marketing later expanding to encompass content, performance and planning, customer segments, martech and leadgen, consumer insights and research, and facilities.
Addressing her team, she said it had been “a privilege and an honour” to bring the various functions together through different stages of Singlife’s evolution.
“Through every iteration, you pulled together, performed, and broke new ground. I have no doubt you’ll keep doing exactly that,” she said.
Prior to joining Singlife, she spent nearly three years at Tan Chong International as head of group corporate management, where she led nine departments across 10 markets, spanning areas including HR and training, customer experience, communications and events, regional IT, and projects and build.
She also held several senior leadership roles at Mediacorp, including chief marketing officer and chief customer officer, after serving as head of Family & Premier segments and head of news & premier segment. She was also managing director and chief editor of Channel NewsAsia from 2009 to 2014, overseeing commercial, distribution, sales, editorial, operations and strategy for the regional news channel.
Earlier in her career, she spent 13 years at Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, progressing from broadcast journalist to assignments editor. During that time, she covered local and regional news and politics, was a pioneer member of the political desk and was part of the team that launched Channel NewsAsia in 1999.
As for her next chapter, she said she is looking forward to “doing different things”, spending time with the people who matter, picking up neglected hobbies and focusing on her wellbeing.
“After 34 years of work-life integration, I’m going to prioritise myself and the people closest to me, and live with no regrets,” she wrote.
MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Singlife for a statement.
During her tenure, Soon oversaw work that helped shape Singlife’s brand and content strategy, including the “What I wish I knew in NS” campaign, which MARKETING-INTERACTIVE highlighted as a Content Champion at its Content360 conference in 2024.
The campaign sought to raise awareness of Singlife’s MINDEF Group Insurance Scheme by moving away from traditional insurance messaging and instead using humour and relatable National Service stories, featuring Singaporean personalities including Kumar, Wang Weiliang and Suhaimi Yusof, alongside practical content aimed at both NSmen and their families.
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