Sarah Edwards

With close to 14 years of industry experience, Sarah is Director and Global Client Lead at Ogilvy’s PR & Influence practice based in Dubai. Her expertise covers strategy and planning development, skills training – both internal and for clients, as well as the execution of integrated communications programs for local, regional and international clients. Sarah has been with the Ogilvy for 10 years; she has lived and worked in Hong Kong, Shanghai, London and Dubai.

Sarah began her career in London, working for a creative agency on brands spanning the lifestyle, entertainment and tourism space. In 2010, Sarah relocated to Ogilvy’s Hong Kong offices where she held a dual role as Regional Director for Ogilvy Public Relations Asia Pacific and Corporate Communications Director Asia Pacific, Ogilvy & Mather Group. In 2014, she was awarded PR Week’s Asia Young PR Professional of the Year.

 

Her sector experience spans from hospitality and tourism – Sarah led the APAC Corporate Communications work for Hyatt Hotels for three years – to lifestyle products in fashion, F&B, pharma and tech. Sarah spent 1.5 years in Shanghai where she delivered the global re-brand of pharma company, Merck, to audiences in Asia – working with teams in London, EMEA and the US to activate the brand’s EVP and external communications programme across 16 markets in Asia Pacific.

For over 3 years, Sarah spearheaded partnership activation, reputation management and thought leadership for Huawei’s Consumer Business Group; she also pitched and then led Huawei’s first Global Influencer Program under its B2B Corporate Communications function – responsible for creating a ‘brand shield’ for Huawei’s reputation overseas. Sarah acted as a central point for Ogilvy PR’s relationship with Huawei Technologies; interpreting briefs, coordinatig resource, media and crisis trainings, while elevating the agency’s relationship in over 20 markets. Briefs covered not only the umbrella Corporate Communications department, but across Huawei’s Consumer, Carrier and Enterprise Business Groups.

Sarah, has since, spent 15 months in Ogilvy’s London offices acting as the global client lead for British Airways – an operation spanning close to 60 markets across WPP’s agency portfolio, with ongoing briefs in corporate reputation, crisis management through to consumer activations. She now lives and works in Dubai, where she oversees Ogilvy’s international facing brief for Expo 2020 Dubai – the next World Expo due to take place in the Middle East for the first time, spanning 30 markets with hubs in Dubai and New York.

Sarah holds strong expertise in crisis management and brand reputation recovery. She has helped to facilitate messaging, crisis and media training for a number of local and international clients, including C-Suite executives at Hyatt Hotels, Grosvenor, Huawei as well as Storytelling Workshops for US-based financial holding company, State Street, and Employee Engagement Workshops for Ford.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a CIPR marketing qualification.