Female Empowerment, the Web3 Mass Experiment & Why You Should Stop Sleeping on Introverts: An Interview with Mandy Pao of EQ

GARAGE SOCIETY: Thank you for taking the interview, Mandy! Could you please start by telling us a bit about yourself? 

Mandy Pao: I’d describe myself as an entrepreneur, health-enthusiast and storyteller. 

I came from a PR background, primarily producing big events for movie red carpets and luxury brands. Back in 2016, I pivoted and decided to build my own creative agency, Eloquence (EQ). 

It was around the same time that I became increasingly involved with global impact campaigns, specifically those at the intersections of the female identity, work-life balance, and support within the creative industries. 

I want to facilitate these conversations to the best of my power. Part of this means sharing my personal & professional stories as an entrepreneur, to encourage others to do the same. It also means using EQ as a platform for other creative voices, providing educational content, and building a support network.

GS: You've been closely involved in impact initative by UNESCO and Inspiring Girls Hong Kong. What was the journey that led you there?

Mandy: I was fortunate to join UNESCO’s female empowerment campaign back in 2018 called “You Are Next,” aimed at enabling women of developing countries to harness their entrepreneurial and technical skills in the digital creative industries.

This global campaign has expanded my vision tremendously and helped me be more aware of women’s needs in the creative industry. 

Ever since, I’ve dedicated myself to finding ways to contribute to supporting women through my personal and professional networks with my creative communications agency (EQ).

Early this year, Inspiring Girls nominated me as one of their Role Models. I appreciate all the opportunities to be a part of different women groups as it allows me to support as many females in our community as I can, and hopefully inspire others to exchange ideas and engage in dialogue.

GS: WHAT STORIES WITHIN YOUR INDUSTRY HAVE NOT YET BEEN TOLD? WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Mandy: We live in an extroverted world, and I think people have this idealized image of a leader or an entrepreneur who is highly extroverted. 

This idealized archetype is especially present for women.

I used to think being introverted would get in the way of my leadership, but I realized I could reframe introversion as a strength.

I'm not saying that there's a superior approach, but I want people to recognize the potential of the not-so-glamorized path of introverts.

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GS: How has your approach towards leadership evolved?

Mandy: When I first started my creative agency EQ, I had a freewheeling approach to leadership where I encouraged my team and colleagues to take the stage to express their thoughts and ideas. 

I think what’s changed, however, is that I’ve gradually added my guidance to conversations and actions. 

I’ve realized that being a great leader means you need to have a balance between allowing people to be vocal and guiding their focus and priorities towards the greater goal. So I would say I now have a more guidance-driven approach towards leadership.

GS: WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN THE WORK YOU CREATE? HAS THIS CHANGED OVER TIME? 

Mandy: What’s most important in our work is being able to tell a good story that connects brands with their audiences. Modern consumers look beyond what they consume and want to know why brands are doing what they do, what brands stand for. 

MOST OF THE TIME BUSINESSES UNDERVALUE CREATIVES, THEIR ABILITY TO TELL THE STORIES THAT CONNECT CONSUMERS ON A DEEP, EMOTIONAL LEVEL.

With that said, EQ is a very community-driven agency. We don’t just focus on commercial projects or the projects that make us the most money.  We spend a lot of time fostering the creative community on both local and global scales by highlighting the power of creative talent. 

I feel like the creative community these days deserve more attention than they currently receive. We’ve had these core values since day 1 and they have never changed.
 

GS: In the craziness of the last two years, how have you adapted personally and professionally? 

Professionally, I think it’s trained me to be more agile and allowed me to appreciate challenges. It’s made me see challenges as opportunities.

GS: How will Web 3.0 shake up the digital marketing landscape? 

Mandy: Web 3.0 is going to bring more value to consumers, and consumers will be spending more time online. It will give more power and more opportunities to the average consumer. Web 3.0 will allow us to better understand the needs of the consumer as data will be more descriptive and predictive.

GS: A lot of big-name, luxury brands are already starting to dip into the Web 3.0 ecosystem (eg. Aura Blockchain Consortium jointly developed by LVMH, Prada & Cartier, digital Marc Jacobs & Valentino outfits on Animal Crossing) - what’s your take on this?

Mandy: I think it’s great that big-name brands are leading the foray into web 3.0 because they are the ones that have the resources to do it. 

Everything they do will be closely watched as we all gear up to participate in this mass experiment and evolution. 

So I think we can use their case studies as valid insights as to how it will all work from a tangible perspective, not just in theory.

EQ is a fully integrated New Gen creative communications agency based in Hong Kong, working globally. 

They’re a one-stop-shop for data, design, marketing, PR, branding, strategy and all of the above, working with clients to optimize communications at every stage of the process. 

Their creative work ranges widely from fashion and lifestyle, to health & F&B. 

You can connect with Mandy on Linkedin and Instagram.

You can also keep up with the work EQ is doing on their Instagram page @eq.international, listen to EQ (RAD)IO, their curation of playlists on Spotify, or learn more about their services at their website.

We’ll be hosting a workshop with EQ soon, all about ‘finding success as an introverted female entrepreneur’ - keep your eyes peeled on Garage Commons for updates! 

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