Women to Watch 2021: Rachelle Hansen, PHD

Rachelle Hansen

General manager
PHD
Singapore

Balancing empathetic leadership with business proficiency, Rachelle Hansen has been rewarded with rapid promotions during her tenure at Omnicom Media Group. Most recently she was elevated from regional business director to general manager of PHD Singapore in May this year.

Her ascension is far from over. In just a few months in her new role, she has clinched new business and organic opportunities and been pivotal in the success of key global pitches for Diageo and Electrolux—contributing to 35% year-on-year growth so far for the Singapore office. 

The acid test for leaders in the marcomms industry in the past 18 months has been not just how they keep their operations above water, but also how they manage their people during a time of incredible stress. Hansen has demonstrated strong empathy and a people-first approach to her role and as a result, has managed to grow her team by 40% this year through an emphasis on initiatives to recruit, recognise, reward, and promote across the agency. Due to her family military upbringing, she can deliver on her plans—and often exceed them—with compassion, collaboration, candour, and a strong sense of responsibility. 

In 13 years in the industry, Hansen has been recruited into three major hubs of US, London and now Singapore to lead teams across major global clients for OMG. At each role in these locations, she has been accelerated into top leadership roles within a year. A natural leader, she was able to master the mysteries of balance sheets, but also ensure growth in business was not hindering people’s ambitions, resources, or their own skills. To do this, Hansen has spearheaded the development of over 20-plus training materials across soft and functional skills since 2019. She has also led her teams to ensure the rapid adoption of PHD’s planning products such as Omni Studio across key clients such as HP, Electrolux, and Diageo.