Desiree is all about the write stuff, whether it's crafting copy that
opens the best hotels across the universe for Starwood Hotels or
bringing to life campaigns for brands such as Guinness, Erdinger, The
Lens Men and beyond, through consumer branding, community relations
and e-marketing. Staying true to her Medill School of Journalism
roots, she contributes to publications such as Shape, Silver Kris
(Singapore Airlines' inflight magazine), PhotoYou, Storm, Building &
Construction, as well as chapters in books on food and business and a
wide range of media. Her work represents a solid foundation in public
relations, journalism and branding, laced with an acuity for the
social function and artistic character of pop culture, and a
hardscrabble work ethic cherry on top.
Coast to coast from South Beach to Scottsdale and longitude to
latitude from Istanbul to Hong Kong, Desiree creates copy, coffee
table books, brochure manifestos and selling features for the W
Hotels, St. Regis and Luxury Collection lines under the auspices of
each brand's voice and identity, collaborating with international
teams comprising of hotel marketers, Web content producers and brand
managers. Time zones? That's so last season of Lost.
After sliding behind the wheel of The Lens Men's pilot P.R. and
marketing programing in September 2007, the retail chain has gone
from zero to hero with a Web site that averages 70 visits daily and
20 major media placements in 18 months. In addition to
single-handedly executing consumer promotions, managing vendor
relationships, supporting overseas buying trips and conducting media
work, Desiree is also responsible for launching The Lens Men Eye
Care-a-Van, Singapore's first and only mobile eye clinic. The Eye
Care-a-Van travels across the country providing free eye tests and
spectacles to the underprivileged, a true ambassador of the company's
"Not Just Eye Care - We Care" philosophy. That's a program that
scores 20/20.
In former agency life, Desiree worked with The Harbinger Group, a
virtual P.R. shop comprised of former Ketchum brain trust. For her
work on LRN, Desiree led a team to a Gold SABRE nomination for
excellence in corporate media relations. At Ogilvy, Desiree serviced
accounts ranging from Bausch & Lomb and Orbitz to Lipton Tea and
Playmobil. As part of the Arthur Andersen team at Ketchum, Desiree
won accolades such as the Publicity Club of Chicago's Silver Trumpet,
Public Relations Society of America's Skyline Award and the Women in
Public Relations' Obelisk award - recognition for the execution of
robust media relations programs.
Desiree's earliest travel memory is building sandcastles on a beach
in Bali at age four and most recently peaked Mount Kilimanjaro in
Tanzania, one of the world's Seven Summits. She has also hung out
with amazing sherpas while trekking the Annapurna Himalayas and saw
her 26th Bruce Springsteen show in Antwerp, Belgium. Desiree plays on
four softball teams, and when not wearing cleats, plays tennis, boxes
and bikes wherever possible. She nurses a love/hate relationship with
endurance events which has resulted in the completion of five
marathons (most recently a 3:54 finish in Berlin) and seven
triathlons, and completed her first half-Ironman event in 2011.
Desiree has also represented the Singapore Recreational Club in
international softball tournaments from Thailand to China, competed
in the same event as Kobayashi in a Major League Eating contest and
aspires to qualify for the National Scrabble Tournament in the near
future.
opens the best hotels across the universe for Starwood Hotels or
bringing to life campaigns for brands such as Guinness, Erdinger, The
Lens Men and beyond, through consumer branding, community relations
and e-marketing. Staying true to her Medill School of Journalism
roots, she contributes to publications such as Shape, Silver Kris
(Singapore Airlines' inflight magazine), PhotoYou, Storm, Building &
Construction, as well as chapters in books on food and business and a
wide range of media. Her work represents a solid foundation in public
relations, journalism and branding, laced with an acuity for the
social function and artistic character of pop culture, and a
hardscrabble work ethic cherry on top.
Coast to coast from South Beach to Scottsdale and longitude to
latitude from Istanbul to Hong Kong, Desiree creates copy, coffee
table books, brochure manifestos and selling features for the W
Hotels, St. Regis and Luxury Collection lines under the auspices of
each brand's voice and identity, collaborating with international
teams comprising of hotel marketers, Web content producers and brand
managers. Time zones? That's so last season of Lost.
After sliding behind the wheel of The Lens Men's pilot P.R. and
marketing programing in September 2007, the retail chain has gone
from zero to hero with a Web site that averages 70 visits daily and
20 major media placements in 18 months. In addition to
single-handedly executing consumer promotions, managing vendor
relationships, supporting overseas buying trips and conducting media
work, Desiree is also responsible for launching The Lens Men Eye
Care-a-Van, Singapore's first and only mobile eye clinic. The Eye
Care-a-Van travels across the country providing free eye tests and
spectacles to the underprivileged, a true ambassador of the company's
"Not Just Eye Care - We Care" philosophy. That's a program that
scores 20/20.
In former agency life, Desiree worked with The Harbinger Group, a
virtual P.R. shop comprised of former Ketchum brain trust. For her
work on LRN, Desiree led a team to a Gold SABRE nomination for
excellence in corporate media relations. At Ogilvy, Desiree serviced
accounts ranging from Bausch & Lomb and Orbitz to Lipton Tea and
Playmobil. As part of the Arthur Andersen team at Ketchum, Desiree
won accolades such as the Publicity Club of Chicago's Silver Trumpet,
Public Relations Society of America's Skyline Award and the Women in
Public Relations' Obelisk award - recognition for the execution of
robust media relations programs.
Desiree's earliest travel memory is building sandcastles on a beach
in Bali at age four and most recently peaked Mount Kilimanjaro in
Tanzania, one of the world's Seven Summits. She has also hung out
with amazing sherpas while trekking the Annapurna Himalayas and saw
her 26th Bruce Springsteen show in Antwerp, Belgium. Desiree plays on
four softball teams, and when not wearing cleats, plays tennis, boxes
and bikes wherever possible. She nurses a love/hate relationship with
endurance events which has resulted in the completion of five
marathons (most recently a 3:54 finish in Berlin) and seven
triathlons, and completed her first half-Ironman event in 2011.
Desiree has also represented the Singapore Recreational Club in
international softball tournaments from Thailand to China, competed
in the same event as Kobayashi in a Major League Eating contest and
aspires to qualify for the National Scrabble Tournament in the near
future.
Desiree Koh was born and raised in
Singapore, where the perpetual summertime
weather makes it possible to dine al fresco
on the best local cuisine in the world and
play softball all year round. She graduated
with a Bachelor's of Science in Journalism,
with a concentration in magazine writing and
editing, from the Medill School of
Journalism at Northwestern University in
2000. She currently criss-crosses the globe
between Singapore and Chicago during the
year, from Anthony Bourdain's favorite
neighborhood for gastronomical exploration
to being just down the street from the Cubs.
Singapore, where the perpetual summertime
weather makes it possible to dine al fresco
on the best local cuisine in the world and
play softball all year round. She graduated
with a Bachelor's of Science in Journalism,
with a concentration in magazine writing and
editing, from the Medill School of
Journalism at Northwestern University in
2000. She currently criss-crosses the globe
between Singapore and Chicago during the
year, from Anthony Bourdain's favorite
neighborhood for gastronomical exploration
to being just down the street from the Cubs.
