Meet our Members
Our new ‘Meet our Members’ series spotlights the diverse voices shaping digital marketing across the region. In this edition, we feature Catherine Flynn, Director, Agency Development & Marketer Education at LinkedIn and IAB SEA+India Regional Board Member. Discover LinkedIn’s vision for the region and how they’re leveraging IAB SEA+India to drive industry growth and professional development.
Tell us about your company
LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful, and transforms the way companies hire, market, sell, and learn. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. LinkedIn has over 1 billion members and has offices around the globe, including across SEA & India, with APAC HQ in Singapore.
LinkedIn’s business solutions are offered to companies around the world. In particular, LinkedIn helps companies hire the people they need from the world’s largest professional network; market to the world’s largest professional audience; drive higher revenue & lower costs for their sales teams; and build critical skills with online courses that help uplevel their employees. We aspire to create a trusted, caring, inclusive, fun, and transformational experience for each other at LinkedIn, and through our platform for every member of the global workforce.
What unique characteristics define digital marketing in Southeast Asia and India, and what current opportunities do these present?
My role involves responsibility for all of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions’ agency business & relationships in APAC, as well as our Marketer Education practice which scales online and in-person LinkedIn & B2B marketing training across the region. I’m also part of our global Agency Development leadership team. The 2-way dynamic of 1. bringing global context to the regional business + 2. advocating for the diverse needs of APAC markets at the global level, is a crucial balance to strike, in addition to leading a team based around APAC and spending time in local markets. Clear boundaries are needed around diary & travel management to make sure I can contribute effectively at all levels while balancing/juggling work, family & personal priorities. The IAB SEA & India insights help streamline the time I spend on local market research & are always a great resource for building understanding of our complex region with global teams.
Considering the ever-evolving digital landscape in SEA/India, what is your company’s most significant ambition for the region that you feel will have the biggest impact?
When we think about the continuously developing economies of SEA & India, I’m excited about the impact that LinkedIn’s investment in both overall professional skills development (e.g. via LinkedIn Learning & making digital & professional knowledge freely available via our platform), as well as from the POV of digital marketing skills development (via our Marketing Labs education offerings) will have on the growth of our industry & the empowerment of individuals & economies.
In what ways has your partnership with IAB SEA+India been most beneficial to your company?
IAB SEA+India aims to unify the industry for responsible progress and sustainable growth. How does this resonate with you, and why is this coalition important to be a part of? I’ve always believed that it’s important to contribute & give back to the industry as a whole, and that this can aid in achieving our individual companies’ objectives, rather than compete with them. This feels especially needed in a fragmented & developing region where benchmarks, best practices & industry standards will only exist if we focus on developing them. In my role at LinkedIn, my team and I have a priority focus on SEA (incl. HK and Taiwan) and India (+ Australia), making our focus well-aligned with that of the IAB in the region. This alignment and shared interest in developing the digital ecosystem, marketing & media industries in these key markets is a primary motivator for me.
Reflecting on your time with IAB SEA+India, what has been your proudest moment as a board member?
Learning from great leaders by watching them in action is one of my favourite hacks to personal and professional development, and I’ve gotten that opportunity in spades since joining the IAB Board. Our board and membership is made up of the top leaders & digital/marketing talent in the region, who happen to also be great people that I love spending time with. Building my network in Singapore has been an added bonus of helping to progress the IAB’s important work against the key industry priorities in South East Asia and India.