Join me at Beyond the Brief to layoff-proof yourself
Because if big corporations can let thousands go overnight, then no title, no tenure, no award will protect you.
WPP did not just restructure GroupM.
It reminded us of something we already knew but tried to ignore, which is you can give years to this industry, win the awards, stay late, hit every metric and still get laid off.
Up to 45% of GroupM’s global workforce were impacted and entire departments cut. Systems access revoked overnight and teams erased in the name of “efficiency” and a shiny new operating model called WPP Media.
And it is not just WPP. Look around, it is happening at Spotify, Canva, Amazon, TikTok, Dentsu and Yahoo.
The list goes on with over 75,000 roles have vanished across tech, media, and advertising in 2025 alone. And the most brutal part?
Many of them did everything right. They performed, adapted and delivered. And still, they were let go, not for doing the wrong thing, but because the game changed and no one told them.
I have lived through that game. I started in advertising as a copywriter, writing for brands I didn’t believe in. Then I moved into journalism, eventually becoming Tech and Media Editor at Campaign Asia.
I interviewed the very leaders now leading these restructures. I reported on adtech, automation, AI. I chronicled the shifts I didn’t realise would one day push me out too.
When I finally showed up as myself as gender-fluid, pansexual, visible, it got complicated. And that is putting it politely. I did not leave for a better title, but because I was tired of fitting into a system that was not built for people like me.
So I built my own system.
Today, I run Human Algorithm, a storytelling-led media platform and personal brand studio. I help founders, creators, and one-person businesses turn lived experience into content, credibility, and conversion. I created The Human Algorithm Podcast to spotlight stories that do not get told in pitch decks and press releases.
And on 26 June, I am speaking at Beyond the Brief, a live panel for anyone ready to stop performing and start owning.
I will be joined by:
Yan Yi Chee, a coach helping creatives lead from inner clarity
Miki Sim, redefining culture at VaynerMedia
VJ Anand, advertising legend and ex-Gojek SVP who chose reinvention over repetition
Audrey Chia, Top 10 LinkedIn creator shaping the future of AI-powered branding
We will unpack:
Why personal branding is no longer optional in a post-layoff economy
How to build trust without burning out
How to turn your scars into stories that convert
And how to play the creator game without losing yourself in the process
This is for the ones who gave everything to a system that gave nothing back, for the ones who are done waiting to be chosen and for the ones who are finally ready to choose themselves.
Sign up here: https://lu.ma/722f49a0