You’re in good company

Get to know the leading names that drive and inspire Invictus Blue.

Keith MirandaExecutive Board Director

Prior to joining Invictus Blue as Group MD, Keith was a long tenured Citigroup executive based in Sydney, Australia. His role there culminated in Head of Investments, where he oversaw the structured investments and derivative offerings to clients across Asia.
Keith was also the head of new arrival client acquisition of Westpac Banking Group in Australia where he oversaw a P&L in excess of AUD 400 million.

He is currently a Board Director and the National Treasurer of Australia’s most prominent business council namely, The Australia China Business Council.

A KPMG Australia trained Chartered Accountant, he is also a graduate of Harvard Business School, where he received the Dean’s List mention. Having grown up between France and Malaysia, Keith is fluent in both French and English.

Jo YauGroup CEO

Jo brings extensive experience from senior roles at GroupM and Zenith Media, managing portfolios for prominent international brands including Maybank Group, Toyota, Emirates, American Express, HSBC, and Volvo. Her tenure as General Manager at Grey led the agency to become the top agency in Malaysia, earning accolades such as Cannes Lions and Kancil Awards. Jo also served in dual roles at Malacca Securities as Chief Marketing Officer and at its subsidiary MULA Advisory as Chief Commercial Officer.

Vinesh ThanabalasingamHead of Finance

Vinesh serves as the Group Finance Director at Invictus Blue Group overseeing all facets of finance, accounting, technology, legal and compliance matters, human resource and M&A. He offers strategic guidance and financial leadership and drives growth opportunities. With a strong background in finance, Vinesh brings keen financial insight to navigate the complexities of the marketing and advertising sectors. His adept financial management has been vital in fostering sustainable growth and profitability within his organizations.

Vinesh’s background as a seasoned accountant has equipped him with a keen financial acumen, enabling him to navigate the complexities of the marketing and advertising industry with precision. His expertise in financial management has been instrumental in achieving sustainable growth and profitability in his organisations.

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, Vinesh stands as a testament to the power of combining financial acumen with cutting-edge digital strategies. His dedication to excellence, leadership prowess, and commitment to driving growth makes Vinesh a sought-after figure in the HR, marketing, advertising industries and a trusted leader in the corporate world.

Shiyen ChenHead of Strategy

Shi Yen is a seasoned business leader with over 20 years in Communications and Media, excelling in creative strategy, shopper marketing, digital innovation, and media planning. She has managed major clients like Fonterra, PepsiCo, and Johnson & Johnson, co-creating award-winning campaigns that set industry standards.

At Saatchi X China, she drove consumer engagement and growth for brands like Lenovo and Cadbury. Her expertise also includes media planning and strategy.

Before joining Invictus Blue, Shi Yen was Business Director at L’Oréal Malaysia and Strategy Director at GroupM. Known for developing bespoke brand and communication frameworks, her work has earned multiple effectiveness awards, consistently delivering outstanding results for her clients.

Ricky CheokHead of Media

Ricky, a former agricultural engineer in Southern Malaysia, is now a key player at Invictus Blue with over 15 years of experience in media and consumer behavior. As an early media hybrid, he has mastered both traditional and digital fronts, earning 13 awards in strategy, viral marketing, and performance marketing.

He has collaborated with major brands like CELCOM, HUAWEI, and AmBank, transforming campaigns from traditional to fully integrated. Ricky pioneered innovations like Waze and Wowloud in the Malaysian market and excels in using 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party data to enhance digital advertising. His award-winning AmBank campaign, which connected multiple data sources to drive performance, showcases his expertise in blending traditional media with cutting-edge digital strategies.

Dato ShafriCreative Council

After completing his studies in the US, he worked at several renowned international advertising agencies in New York, London, and Tokyo. As President and Chief Creative Officer at Bates Asia, he continued his success, earning numerous prestigious creative awards, including those from the New York Festival, Clio, London International Advertising Awards, D&AD Gold Pencil, and winning the Grand Prix ‘Best of the Best’ at the Malaysia 4As, as well as multiple Gold Effies. His international creative reputation was further recognized when he received ‘The Chairman’s Award’ from the legendary creative genius Karl Spielvogel in New York. However, he considers his greatest achievement to be mentoring and grooming some of the current creative leaders in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.

He has held global and regional creative director roles for various international and local brands, including Unilever, HSBC, RJ Reynolds, BAT, Toyota, Tiger Beer, Shell, Petronas, Petron, Malaysia Airlines, Telekom Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, and Dutch Lady. His passion lies not just in developing creative ideas but in crafting creative ‘selling’ ideas, using Behavioral and Cognitive Science (Neuromarketing) to create emotional brand synchronization between the brand and its consumers. He believes that with the advent of numerous technological innovations, we are in the most exciting era of branding and marketing, where harnessing and mastering these innovations will require a new breed of Creative Technologists, like those being deployed at IBG.

Shakira MuhamadResearch & Insights Director

A firm believer in a consumer-led approach to driving business growth, Shakira is deeply passionate about uncovering the “why” behind consumer behavior. She views social media listening as a vital tool for gaining meaningful insights into audience behavior and sentiment to craft communication strategies that truly resonate.

With 15 years of experience, mainly in media, social media, content, and digital marketing, Shakira has a proven track record of delivering results with prominent clients like PETRONAS, Gentari, Maybank, Astro, and many more.

Shakira is also pursuing an MBA in Energy Management, where she is focused on integrating business and sustainability perspectives with her experience and skills. This ensures that our strategies are not only consumer-centric but also forward-looking and impactful.

Sharmini NagulanHead of Sustainability

Before joining the media business, Sharmini lectured in Systems Analysis & Statistics for 2 years at Stamford College KL. Sharmini then joined Bates Advertising Malaysia in 1991 where she went on to hold the position of Chief Operating Officer for their media arm Zenith Media Malaysia (now rebranded Invictus Blue).

Sharmini left the advertising industry in 2005 to take on the position of Managing Director, Oxford University Press (University of Oxford UK) for Malaysia and Singapore. In 2019, Sharmini took on regional responsibility at OUP Asia Education – as Director Asia Market Services and later that year joined the OUP Education Division’s Business Transformation team.

After 15 years with OUP, Sharmini retired from publishing and re-joined Invictus Blue to head up our Sustainability operations through our specialist sustainability company Acacia Blue Sdn Bhd www.acaciablue.com