Career summary

Faye Leck is a PR professional with a passion for people engagement and event management. In 2018, she completed her Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Communication and Media Studies, at Monash University.

Since graduating, Faye has successfully executed numerous PR campaigns for notable FMCG brands, including Mission Foods, New Balance, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Bvlgari. Furthermore, she has led the PR launches for reality TV series, The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, luxury boutique hotel group, Garcha Hotels, and luxury hotel booking app, HoteLux, during the pandemic.

In her current role as Account Manager at Petrie PR, Faye works with a global portfolio of luxury hotel brands, bringing to the table a wealth of media and influencer relationships and a vast experience with international clients. Faye also stays closely connected to her Monash roots, and previously served as the President of Monash University Alumni Singapore.

Career pathway

2025 - Present: Senior Account Manager, Petrie PR
2023 – Account Manager, Petrie PR
2022 – Junior Account Manager, AKA Asia
Present – Advisor, Monash University Alumni Singapore |2021-2025 - President | 2018 – Committee Member
2021 – Senior Public Relations Executive, R.S.V.P PR. EVENT. DIGITAL
2020 – Senior Account Executive, DIFY Singapore
2019 – Public Relations Executive, The Good Folks
2018 – Corporate Communications Executive, Cityneon | 2018 – Intern
2018 – President, Singapore Association of Monash (SAM)
2016 – Administrative Assistant, Cengage Learning
2016 – Bachelor of Arts, Monash University
2015 – Intern, Strategic Public Relations Group
2013 – Writer, Musichel
2013 – Integrated Events and Project Management, Singapore Polytechnic

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Career Journey questions:

Why did you decide to study a Bachelor of Arts at Monash University in Australia?

I've always been really interested in literature, art, and languages. So, when it came to university, I was really hoping to find a degree where I could learn some more soft skills that I could apply in my future career, whilst also exploring the topics that I was passionate about.

I’d already completed a three-year diploma in Singapore prior to university, so I managed to get Recognition of Prior Learning for a few units at Monash, which then allowed me to condense my studies into two years. This meant that at Monash, I could gain the experience that’s so sought after by the PR industry in Singapore, whilst being able to get back into the workforce as soon as possible.

As an international student, how welcoming was the Monash community to your cultural differences and what sort of opportunities did you have to celebrate them? 

From the get-go, Monash offered an amazing orientation program. I was also living on campus, so I felt a really great sense of community around me.

They offered a lot of opportunities to get together with other students, so I immediately felt welcome, and I wasn’t as homesick as I had imagined I would be. The Singaporean community at Monash is also quite large, which helped put me at ease. It was nice knowing there were other Singaporeans around, and if I ever needed support from someone who could relate to me.

I only ever had positive experiences. There were so many clubs and societies that welcomed me with open arms too. I joined the Monash Singapore Association when I started, and I ended up leading it as the President before I graduated.

How would you say the Bachelor of Arts prepared you for your career in the PR industry?

The soft skills that I learned at Monash were really crucial in getting my career started in Singapore – from the creative thinking that my lecturers encouraged, to listening to different points of view from my peers, to learning to take my communication abilities to the next level. Living in Australia by myself also taught me a lot of independence and problem-solving skills. All of these skills have proved really transferable and still help me today with my work in PR.

I also learnt some more technical things at Monash, such as understanding the history of media, learning about best practices, and comparing the media landscape in Australia to that in Singapore.

The PR industry in Australia is slightly more advanced than what we have in Singapore, mainly because people in Australia are able to be much more creative and open-minded. In Singapore, there’s often a lot of red tape around what you can or cannot do, and many of my clients are not willing to challenge conservative thinking in their ad campaigns.

Overall, my experience of being in Australia, observing social media campaigns and understanding the kind of news that the Australian media covers, has really helped me with my career today.

How do you use the skills you learned in your degree in your current role as an Account Manager?

At the moment, I’m working on a couple of regional accounts, so I occasionally work with Australian agencies. I think that because I’ve got that experience in Australia, it’s easier for me to understand what they may want and adapt to their working style, which has been great.

At Monash, I also gained a lot of experience working alongside people from different cultures, which has really helped my communication with other foreign agencies.

Tell us about your internship experience. What led you to those roles and how have they benefited you in your career?

As part of my Diploma in Integrated Events and Project Management at Singapore Polytechnic, I had to do an internship for six months at a company of my choice. Most of my peers went for internships at event companies, but I decided to try PR because I love writing, and I love social media as well. That was my first step into PR, and it helped me to realise that PR was what I wanted to do.

Of course, PR is an industry that values experience, connections, and networks, so I took up multiple internships at PR agencies throughout my semester breaks while I was at Monash. Each of these helped me to foster the media connections that I needed when I started my career after graduation.

What sort of extracurricular activities did you participate in at Monash?

While at Monash, I was on the committee for the Singaporean Association of Monash.

In my first year, I was the Events and PR Director, so I helped the club plan events and create all the marketing collateral, which really helped build my experience and prepare me for a career after graduation. In my second year, I became the President, which was another great experience in itself and now an advisor.

What did it mean to you to be part of Monash University Alumni Singapore? 

For me, it’s an opportunity for me to give back and stay connected to the community. All my peers from Monash who are back in Singapore agree that those were the best years of our lives. We all studied different degrees and we’re all working in different industries, but the Alumni Association is a platform for us to come back together and reminisce about those times. We also use it to discuss how we can potentially work together in the future, so there's a lot of synergy there.

All the Monash alumni we have in Singapore are doing great work. They each have great positions, they give back to society in Singapore and they volunteer when they can. Basically, we're just a group of people who enjoy giving back and enjoy connecting.

Would you recommend doing the Bachelor of Arts at Monash University?

Of course. When I chat with my other Singaporean friends who didn’t have the opportunity to study overseas, I see quite an obvious difference in the teaching styles and the university experience they had.

In Singapore, it’s very results-focused and it's all about the theory. Whereas at Monash, I was given the opportunity to be creative, and everyone was so much more open-minded. I really appreciate the experience that I got from Monash, and I think that anyone else would too.

Since your previous interview, you’ve moved from Senior Public Relations Executive at AKA Asia to Senior Account Manager at Petrie PR. How has your career developed since graduating? 

Upon graduation, I moved into the communications space almost immediately. I knew I was interested in the field even before joining Monash, which is why I pursued a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communications and Media Studies.

PR has always been an industry I'm deeply passionate about. It offers a great mix of writing and editorial work alongside in-person client events, giving you the best of both worlds: a solid office environment where you work 9-to-5, paired with opportunities to go out, network, and run client campaigns.

When I was a Senior Public Relations Executive, a relatively junior role in an agency, I focused primarily on execution. The overarching strategy was set by management, directors, and clients, so my day-to-day was centered around media pitching, planning events, and writing press releases.

Now as a Senior Account Manager at Petrie PR, I’ve moved into the strategic side, which is deeply fulfilling. While I enjoyed the constant contact with journalists and influencers in my earlier role, I’ve taken a step back to focus on client relationship management while leading a team that manages execution. With my Monash foundation and 8 to 9 years of agency experience, I’m in a strong position to deliver strategic recommendations tailored to Singapore and the wider Southeast Asian region. That shift toward strategy has been the main trajectory of my growth since starting out.

What does a typical day look like in your current role? 

At the moment, I lead about 8 to 9 accounts across different clients. My day-to-day centers on checking in with clients to ensure we're strictly on track with our PR and communication strategies.

The nature of the work varies depending on the client structure. For retainer clients, we focus on year-round brand positioning, shaping how the brand communicates with consumers over the long term. For project-based clients, the focus is much more immediate and tactical, such as launching a new luxury hotel. That involves planning the opening ceremony, curating exclusive guest lists, and managing media and influencer stays for reviews.

A big part of my role is managing both client expectations and internal team workflows. I spend a lot of time reviewing my team’s output, they handle the drafting and day-to-day execution, and I review, refine, and sign off before anything reaches the client. Ultimately, agency work is all about client servicing; you're there for them 24/7 when needed, especially during critical moments or crisis management, giving them the confidence to put their brand forward.

You work with a global portfolio of luxury hotel brands and international clients. How do you adapt PR strategies across different markets and cultural landscapes?

I handle the Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia markets. Global brands engage local agencies like us because we know what is appropriate, trending and effective in each specific market. Even between neighboring countries like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, strategies have to be tweaked accordingly.

For instance, Thailand’s tourism board launched a campaign heavily focused on wellness, beauty, and nature. When introducing a new brand to the Thai market, we actively highlight its wellness aspects to align with local trends. Practical factors matter too, if a destination has direct flight connectivity from Singapore, we pitch the convenience of getting there. If there isn't a direct flight from Thailand, we have to be much more creative in our approach.

Clients trust us to share this deep market context. For example, we recently took on Tulah Clinical Wellness, a 30-acre clinical wellness retreat in India where guests undergo full-body diagnostics including consults with physicians, before undergoing a personalized treatment plan. After researching and speaking with my team in Thailand, I learned that annual full-body check-ups are already a regular health ritual in Thai culture. Because it's already a familiar habit, our team identified an opportunity to pitch Tulah to the Thai market as an evolution of their existing routine: "Since you do this every year, why not experience it at Tulah Clinical Wellness next year instead?"

That localised, culturally grounded hook would work brilliantly in Thailand, but it wouldn't necessarily apply to the Singapore or Malaysia markets.

What key skills and opportunities should Monash students pursue to build a career in Singapore?

Firstly, research the specific industry landscape and national priorities of the country you want to work in. For example, Singapore’s recent National Day Rally placed a strong emphasis on family-centric policies and messaging. Keeping up with national priorities like this gives you valuable context that directly informs your strategy and daily work.

Secondly, differentiate yourself by leveraging your international network and experience. Singapore is already a very global, metropolitan society, similar to Sydney or Shanghai, so culture shock is minimal. What sets you apart when applying for roles is having studied or interned abroad. Even now when I interview candidates, international exposure is something I actively look for because it brings a unique perspective.

Finally, focus on building your confidence, presentation skills, and people skills. Monash gave me room to think out of the box, experiment creatively with assessment topics, and practise speaking openly with others. Building those strong communication and interpersonal skills while at university is essential for setting yourself up for success in a global market like Singapore.

What is one takeaway from Monash that still shapes how you work today?

The ability to collaborate across cultures. In global hospitality PR, I’m constantly working with people from different countries and backgrounds, and my time at Monash directly prepared me for that.

Being in tutorials with students from all over the world gave me the opportunity to share insights about Singapore. In a way, that was my first experience doing PR for my home country, framing the best aspects of Singapore so others could relate to them. That cross-cultural communication is a soft skill you only build through real-world engagement and networking, and it continues to shape how I approach my work every day.

You started as a committee member with Monash's alumni network in 2018 and served as President from 2021 to 2025. What does this journey mean to you, and what advice would you share with current students? 

It’s a full-circle moment. I look back on my time at university with so many fond memories, it truly shaped who I am, so giving back to the Monash alumni community in Singapore is deeply important to me.

My biggest piece of advice for students is to lean into your life experiences. Everything you do, studying at Monash, completing internships in Singapore, or traveling and experiencing different cultures, adds to your personal toolkit. The best way to stand out in your career is to draw on those unique experiences to differentiate yourself, spark creative ideas, and inform better strategies. Focus on continuous learning and let your life experiences guide you.

Interviewed by Sakshi Saraswat, Master of Strategic Communications, as part of the Monash Arts Global Industry Connections (GIC) project, 15 September 2026

Interviewed by Sakshi Saraswat Master of Strategic Communications as part of the Monash Arts Global Industry Connections (GIC) project, 15 September 2026