ZHANG SU LI's life came to a dramatic turning point at the age of 17 when she stood face to face with an earthworm on the workbench of her biology lab at the Burgess Hill School for Girls in Sussex, England. (She is terrified of earthworms). After running out of the biology exam in hysterics, she had to accept the fact that her childhood dream of becoming a hugely successful veterinary surgeon had just been crushed by a helpless invertebrate of 5 inches.
Edward Dahlberg once said, “When one realises that his life is worthless he either commits suicide or travels.”
Su Li chose the latter. While travelling she stumbled into the world of advertising. Her career as a copywriter began in Ogilvy & Mather and continued at Saatchi & Saatchi, Lowe & Partners, BBDO, Naga DDB, Leo Burnett, Grey Interactive, Arc Worldwide, Publicis Worldwide, Arachnid Interactive, Chimera Brand Design Consultancy and Ogilvy One. Her advertising awards include the Golden Kancil for the "Best of the best in Malaysian advertising", Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Festival, London International Advertising Awards, and Singapore Creative Circle.
Su Li's first book, A Backpack And A Bit Of Luck, was published in 2007 by Marshall Cavendish. It reached the Top Ten travel section in Borders Kuala Lumpur, and was shortlisted for Travel Narrative of the month in Borders Singapore. She has three short travel stories in the anthology, Sini Sana, MPH Publishing, 2011.
As a brand consultant, copywriter and travel writer, Su Li is confident that she can take on any task in the communications business, as long as it doesn't involve earthworms.
Education
Burgess Hill School for Girls, Burgess Hill, Sussex, England.
City College for Management Studies, London, England.
City & East London College, London, England.
Professional Qualifications
Communications, Advertising and Marketing (CAM) Diploma
Diploma in Dispensing Optics
Employment History (1991 – present day)
Advertising agencies
Ogilvy & Mather
Saatchi & Saatchi
Lowe & Partners
BBDO
Naga DDB
Foote, Cone and Belding
Young & Rubicam
Leo Burnett
M&C Saatchi
Interactive agencies
Arachnid Interactive
Grey Direct Interactive
XM Malaysia
Arc Interactive
Ogilvy One
AirAsia BIG
Design house
Chimera Brand Design Consultancy
Major clients
Nestlé, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, Mead Johnson, Maxis Communications Berhad, Celcom, DiGi Telecommunications, KFC, Burger King, Hilton, The Datai, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa Maldives, Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa Philippines, HSBC, Citibank, CIMB, Bank Negara (Central Bank) Economics Gallery, Volvo, Ford, Volkswagen, Nokia, Samsung, ING Insurance, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Securities Commission Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia, Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), Sunrise Mont Kiara, Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB), MRCB, AirAsia BIG.
Freelance
UNICEF Malaysia
Bank Negara Economics Gallery
Gan Island Retreat, Addhu Attol, Maldives
Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives
Ong Plastic Surgery, Tucson, Arizona, USA
The Rebellious Chickpea.
CompAsia (Singapore).
Teaching experience
Su Li has taught advertising fundamentals, strategy planning, and copywriting at The One Academy of Communication Design. She currently conducts creative writing courses for both children and adults.
Advertising awards
The Golden Kancil (Best of Malaysian advertising)
Cannes Film Festival
New York Film Festival
London International Advertising Awards
Singapore Creative Circle
Published Books
1. ‘A backpack and a bit of luck’ published by Marshall Cavendish, 2007.
Reached Top Ten in the travel section of Borders Kuala Lumpur.
Shortlisted for ‘travel narrative of the month’ in Borders Singapore.
2. ‘Sini Sana’, an anthology by MPH Publications 2011.
3. Second edition of ‘A backpack and a bit of luck’ published by MPH, 2013.
Edward Dahlberg once said, “When one realises that his life is worthless he either commits suicide or travels.”
Su Li chose the latter. While travelling she stumbled into the world of advertising. Her career as a copywriter began in Ogilvy & Mather and continued at Saatchi & Saatchi, Lowe & Partners, BBDO, Naga DDB, Leo Burnett, Grey Interactive, Arc Worldwide, Publicis Worldwide, Arachnid Interactive, Chimera Brand Design Consultancy and Ogilvy One. Her advertising awards include the Golden Kancil for the "Best of the best in Malaysian advertising", Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Festival, London International Advertising Awards, and Singapore Creative Circle.
Su Li's first book, A Backpack And A Bit Of Luck, was published in 2007 by Marshall Cavendish. It reached the Top Ten travel section in Borders Kuala Lumpur, and was shortlisted for Travel Narrative of the month in Borders Singapore. She has three short travel stories in the anthology, Sini Sana, MPH Publishing, 2011.
As a brand consultant, copywriter and travel writer, Su Li is confident that she can take on any task in the communications business, as long as it doesn't involve earthworms.
Education
Burgess Hill School for Girls, Burgess Hill, Sussex, England.
City College for Management Studies, London, England.
City & East London College, London, England.
Professional Qualifications
Communications, Advertising and Marketing (CAM) Diploma
Diploma in Dispensing Optics
Employment History (1991 – present day)
Advertising agencies
Ogilvy & Mather
Saatchi & Saatchi
Lowe & Partners
BBDO
Naga DDB
Foote, Cone and Belding
Young & Rubicam
Leo Burnett
M&C Saatchi
Interactive agencies
Arachnid Interactive
Grey Direct Interactive
XM Malaysia
Arc Interactive
Ogilvy One
AirAsia BIG
Design house
Chimera Brand Design Consultancy
Major clients
Nestlé, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, Mead Johnson, Maxis Communications Berhad, Celcom, DiGi Telecommunications, KFC, Burger King, Hilton, The Datai, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa Maldives, Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa Philippines, HSBC, Citibank, CIMB, Bank Negara (Central Bank) Economics Gallery, Volvo, Ford, Volkswagen, Nokia, Samsung, ING Insurance, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Securities Commission Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia, Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), Sunrise Mont Kiara, Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB), MRCB, AirAsia BIG.
Freelance
UNICEF Malaysia
Bank Negara Economics Gallery
Gan Island Retreat, Addhu Attol, Maldives
Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives
Ong Plastic Surgery, Tucson, Arizona, USA
The Rebellious Chickpea.
CompAsia (Singapore).
Teaching experience
Su Li has taught advertising fundamentals, strategy planning, and copywriting at The One Academy of Communication Design. She currently conducts creative writing courses for both children and adults.
Advertising awards
The Golden Kancil (Best of Malaysian advertising)
Cannes Film Festival
New York Film Festival
London International Advertising Awards
Singapore Creative Circle
Published Books
1. ‘A backpack and a bit of luck’ published by Marshall Cavendish, 2007.
Reached Top Ten in the travel section of Borders Kuala Lumpur.
Shortlisted for ‘travel narrative of the month’ in Borders Singapore.
2. ‘Sini Sana’, an anthology by MPH Publications 2011.
3. Second edition of ‘A backpack and a bit of luck’ published by MPH, 2013.
Copyright © 2016 Zhang Su Li. All rights reserved.
