Karen Hoisington is Singapore’s pioneer branding designer who has branded airlines to zoos. Her motto “Making Others a Success” motivates her to serve the learning community through her rich experiences working on both corporate and government accounts. Karen is also an appointed UK travel ambassador for business women to Singapore and created a social foodie community called The Stylish Gourmand. Karen’s book, “Brand! Desire” outlines her 39 tips based on her successful branding principles.

Karen, a Eurasian of mixed heritage (Anglo-Indian father And Chinese mother) grew up in England with all the manners and decorum expected of an Englishwoman, returned to Singapore after 20 years to encounter the Chinese Asian concept of saving face in conflict management. From experience, it has been a painful journey for her getting most of the signals and non-verbal cues wrong but Karen has learned to appreciate this cultural ethos among the Chinese in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan where she was lecturing recently. She hopes to share with others so that they do not make the same mistakes and appreciate the Chinese. Incidentally, Karen is married to a Chinese Singaporean and continues to learn their nuanced culture and traditions.