MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards has long been a respected institution in the region, honoring businesses, brands, agencies, and marketing professionals that successfully driven performance through purpose.
In its 19th year, the Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards bestowed Filipina creative trailblazer and Jayme Headquarters founder and Chairmom Merlee Jayme its inaugural Agency Leader of the Year award on June 3, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taguig City.
The Agency Leader of the Year award is honored to an agency leader who exemplifies excellence in business growth through purpose-driven creativity — those who deliver campaigns, programs, and initiatives with meaningful, lasting impact.
In her decades of working, Merlee founded The Misfits Camp, the first-ever safe space in the world to assess and upskill neurodivergent and deaf creative adults, preparing them to work professionally in the creative industry. Just this year, she founded Jayme Headquarters, a social enterprise creative agency that provides actual workplace experience for neurodivergent creatives.
Before this, Merlee was an advertising veteran and a creative leader. She was Dentsu McGarryBowen Global Co-president and led Dentsu International – Asia Pacific as Chief Creative Officer to greater heights by winning the ADFEST Network of the Year 2020 and 2022, Spikes Network of the Year 2021, Cannes Lions Regional Network of the Year 2021, and AD STARS Network of the Year 2021.
As Dentsu International – Asia Pacific’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lead in 2021 and 2022, her work on diversity and inclusion in advertising has positively impacted the industry.
Her work pushes insights and innovation, and inspires creative collaboration. Having won major awards, including the Philippines’ only Cannes Lions Grand Prix, she was among the eight women in the world’s top 100 Chief Creative Officers by the 2019 Drum Global Ranking. In March 2025, she was inducted as an ADFEST Lotus Legend for her contributions to the creative industry in the Asia-Pacific region.
In her moving speech at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards show, Merlee recalled the Rent anthem “Seasons of Love”.
“How do you measure a year? But how do you measure … not a year … but an award like this? Maybe it’s measured by the number of failures and mistakes. The insights that didn’t quite land. The campaigns that got rejected. The pitches lost — each one studied for what could’ve been better. The sleepless nights: worrying about how to pay the salaries of my team. The pressure of over-preparing for global meetings, just to avoid being seen as not good enough,” she reflected.
But for a force of nature like Merlee, it’s measured by the journey one takes. The times she never lost faith. The small wins. The clients who showed appreciation. And the young talents she mentored each day.
“By the road you travel, the people who walk it with you, the faith that keeps your feet moving, and the person you become along the way. And if this award means anything tonight, it’s that every twist, stumble, prayer, and push forward meant something.”
She draws strength, too, from her family — her parents, her husband, and her four beautiful daughters — who have weathered every storm with her and been her rock through the years.
Beyond the accolades and award-winning campaigns, Merlee’s journey stands as a powerful testament that creativity isn’t just about entertainment or disruption — it’s about building meaning, inspiring purpose, and driving lasting impact.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards.
