Mash, the creative services platform empowering brands to thrive in Asia-Pacific markets, has announced the appointment of Genie Guranani as the company’s executive drag queen.
This role will see Gurnani join Mash’s global pool of operating partners, a panel of seasoned industry experts that works with Mash’s leadership team on commercial, operational, and creative strategy.
In addition to competing on Drag Race Thailand, the first international edition of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Gurnani is a global creative leader with over 13 years of experience, working with heavyweight agencies such as Leo Burnett and J.Walter Thompson, and global entertainment brands including Netflix and VICE Media.
Drawing on their skills as a drag artist and creative powerhouse, Gurnani is tasked with bringing drag queen energy to Mash, leading brand programming, content, and activations that showcase their nuanced cultural understanding and shine a spotlight on the diverse cultural expertise of Mash’s creative network. Their first engagement for the company will be hosting and moderating Mash’s SXSW Sydney panel, Taste is Soul: How Your Creative Sense Can Keep the World Feeling Human.
The panel will be made up of members of the culturally plugged-in Masher network, including former creative head of VICE Media and Mash APAC operating partner, Royce Akers, lead stylist for Crazy Rich Asians and former editor-in-chief of Elle Malaysia, Andrea Wong, and SBS and ABC series director, Suzanne Kim.
Tash Menon, CEO and co-founder of Mash, will also be speaking about the future of work as part of Culture Amp’s highly anticipated panel, Culture Shift: Exploring How Innovation Will Redefine Work and Society.
Mash’s freshly appointed executive drag queen, Genie Gurnani said: “Everyone knows I’m gorgeous, mostly because I keep mentioning it. But beneath the layers of utter perfection, being a drag queen is really about finding what makes you special and expressing that at full intensity to delight the world.
“That’s why I’m so happy to be joining Mash. It’s an opportunity for me to stand for that sense of self-expression and celebrate it in others. Our creative experts across Asia Pacific are diverse, talented, and honestly magical. I’m here to put them in the spotlight and remind the industry that individual creativity is the most powerful force of all.”
Mash has experienced remarkable growth this year, bolstering its leadership team with the addition of five key members, with the majority of the company’s business now originating from the dynamic Asian market.
Menon said: “Genie entered our orbit years ago as a client. It’s amazing to now go one full circle and to have someone of Genie’s creative calibre and energy elevate our purpose of empowering the creative world to work for themselves.
“Their unique ability to entertain, engage, and inspire the industry represents what we celebrate in our ‘Mashers’ across APAC and the globe: creativity in multiple disciplines, deep cultural expertise, and the ability to truly make an impact on audiences. We look forward to working with Genie to continue celebrating the diversity of our creative network and shining a light on culture’s role in creative excellence.”
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Top image: Genie Gurnani