Edelman Expands Workplace Advisory Team in APAC

Edelman has added Asia Pacific-based specialists to its global Workplace Advisory team, in response to growing demand for expertise in building and maintaining employer trust in Asia Pacific. The expansion of its workplace communications advisory and solutions offering comes shortly after the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer report found that there is an unprecedented global decline in employer trust.

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, the firm’s annual research study now in its 25th year, in times of transforming business models and culture change, organisations that fail to engage employees will lose in the competition for talent and risk decreased productivity and resistance to change. Edelman’s Workplace Advisory offering helps organisations with the process of strategic employer trust-building, with specialist expertise covering the areas of employer brand, internal communications, change management and culture & transformation, among others.

The Workplace Advisory specialists operate across geographies to service clients’ requirements across 10 markets in Asia Pacific (Australia, India, Indonesia, Greater China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), embedded within Edelman’s integrated teams to provide full-service communications solutions to clients.

Jiejun Yan is the Asia Pacific Workplace Advisory lead. She brings two decades of experience as an external and in-house consultant working with C-suite leaders and global organisations in employer brand, transformation, culture and change communications, employee experience and surveys, training and leadership alignment & development. She is completing the executive Masters in Change at INSEAD and is a certified Human Resource professional, change practitioner and executive coach. She is based out of Singapore.

Meghan Barstow is the president of Edelman Japan and the Asia Pacific Workplace Advisory strategic advisor. She brings decades of experience as a communications strategist with her work spanning across corporate reputation, brand, consumer and employee experience. Meghan has worked with C-suite leaders and global, complex and decentralized organisations to build integrated communication strategies, leveraging new technologies and creative approaches to break through the clutter. She is based out of Tokyo.

Daniel Billimack has come onboard as regional director, workplace advisory. He has extensive experience in business transformation, change management, people strategy, employee engagement and culture change. Besides native English, he is fluent in Japanese and has a proven track record working with multinational corporations operating in Japan and beyond. In addition to completing an MBA with a focus on global people strategy, Daniel holds PMP and SHRM-SCP certifications. He is based out of Tokyo.

Cristina Hargrave is regional senior supervisor, workplace advisory. She is a certified change practitioner and seasoned employee communications expert who is well-versed in working with CEOs and Communication leaders to effectively communicate with and motivate diverse employees across markets. She is based out of Seoul.

Heng Min Wong brings rich experience in workplace and workforce transformations to his role as regional director, workplace advisory. He has a track record of strategic leadership alignment, culture change, operating model redesign and curating workplace relocation strategies across diverse industries in the Asia Pacific region. Heng Min holds a Master’s in Applied Finance, is a PROSCI-certified Change Management Practitioner, and a LUMA-certified Design Thinking Facilitator. He is based out of Singapore.

“The recent Edelman Trust Barometer research shows signs that employer trust is at risk in these challenging times of change. This is further accentuated by the current uncertainties that the companies are facing. Productivity, employee welfare and upskilling have a new sense of urgency,” says Rakesh Thukral, Edelman’s CEO for Asia Pacific.

“Employee trust is now crucial more than ever as companies navigate through these needs and their employer brand needs to be integrated seamlessly into business conduct and communications strategies. With these specialist hires, we are matching the urgent and evolving needs of our clients in engaging employees as a key stakeholder group.”