40 Under 40 2022: Sophie Asker, GCI Health

Sophie Asker

Managing director, Singapore; and interim regional managing director, Asia-Pacific
GCI Health 
Singapore  

As leader of GCI Health Singapore, Sophie Asker builds on sixteen years of specialist healthcare communications experience. Since joining the firm in 2020, she has been at the helm of significant growth, more than doubling agency revenue in 2022,  powered by a team that she has created, nurtured, and empowered to thrive. In reflection of her successes over the past couple of years, Asker was recently promoted to interim regional managing director.

In the last 12 months in particular, Asker has proven herself an extremely capable business builder, overseeing impressive revenue growth, 100% client retention, 90% people retention, a 75% new business win rate, and has added 11 new clients to the agency’s roster.

Asker's warm and personable leadership style has come into its own, providing a stabilising environment, especially during the past few pandemic years. She has tirelessly mentored team members while counselling clients, always with a positive outlook. In addition, Asker takes time to mentor every member of her team and provides ad hoc communications counsel to third parties in her own time.

Asker also works with country heads to ensure a positive employee experience across the region, as well as with global leadership on the company's ‘People Pact’. This has seen her roll out various people-focussed initiatives across the region, including mental health awareness in October.

Asker has worked in health communications her whole career, starting inhouse at Servier Laboratories in the UK, within the cardiovascular risk marketing team. Prior to GCI Health, she was deputy managing director of public relations at Syneos Health.

A keen linguist, Asker has been learning Mandarin since arriving in Singapore, enabling her to better understand and engage with local culture and the people around her.