Meet the Faces Behind the Brand: Celebrating Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Wattpad

Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month shines a spotlight on the contributions, talents, and creativity of people from every corner of the world. Many members of the API community call Wattpad—the social storytelling platform imagined to life by Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen—home. It’s a place they can create, connect, be themselves, and bring their unique perspectives to the writing room.?

And many call Wattpad HQ home, too; somewhere they’ve worked, grown, risen in ranks, and built their careers from headquarters and home offices across Canada and around the globe. Meet some of the incredible minds behind the platform and find out how they’re celebrating API Month, how they grew their careers, how they envision the future of storytelling, and lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Jeanne Lam, President

Looking back at your career, what was it like finding mentorship, and how do you feel you could have benefitted from support groups?

My mentors are not limited to those with many years of experience. I have learned so much from my peers, leaders, and individuals at Wattpad. That being said, Allen Lau was the first API manager I’ve ever had (wow, I hadn’t realized that until this moment!). I love sharing with others that Wattpad, this incredible global and diverse community, was founded by two Asian immigrants to Canada. And I am proud to say that 50% of the leadership team are people of color, and people who identify as women, because seeing myself represented at leadership made me believe in the path. Affinity groups are incredibly valuable in providing a safe space to connect with people who can better understand your lived experience. To be able to say, “well, as the kid of Asian immigrant parents” has been a shortcut for me in getting beyond the surface of the situation quickly.

What advice would you give to those looking to boost their confidence or leadership skills?

At Wattpad, I found I could be safe in sharing my perspectives, because I had psychological safety with my coworkers. That takes time and intention to invest in, but the investment is worth it. I learned about myself, specifically, that I like a lot of data and information.? So, with that knowledge, I sought out what I needed in order to be confident. Some people need space, some people need practice. Whatever it is, knowing it about myself helped me show up confidently. When I first became GM, I had to do weekly all-hands presentations—and I dreaded them. The stakes felt so high!? With each all-hands, I tested out different styles of presentations and learned how to adapt it to my own. I realized that no one wants to see me fail. In fact, we usually root for and support each other. Every all-hands was practice and as they say practice makes perfect progress.

Seema Lakhani, Chief Product Officer

What hurdles have you faced as a member of the API community?

One of the challenges as an Indian woman living in Canada is dealing with the model minority myth. It’s complex and hard to always notice, but there are certainly ways in which I am perceived or expected to behave that line up with stereotypes and don’t account for my own individuality. Not to mention this model minority myth creates divisions between minority groups that undermine the fight for racial justice overall.?

What is your vision for the future of tech and storytelling?

Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools to bring people together. This has always been true for humanity and will remain true. Storytelling is such a deep human need that we use to feel connected to something bigger than ourselves, to empathize, and to share in the feeling of the human condition. What changes are the tools and technologies that enable us to tell stories in new ways, to larger audiences, and even opening up the types of stories that are told or heard. My vision for the future of storytelling is one in which everyone finds their voice as a storyteller and the stories we tell and consume enable us to feel validated, heard and accepted.

Abby Yew, Interim Head of Marketing

What does Wattpad mean to you?

Wattpad is so much more than a social storytelling platform. It is a source of comfort, connection, and belonging to a massive community that happens to derive that sense of belonging and connection over stories. It’s because of Wattpad’s values of acceptance, inclusion, diversity, and democratization of storytelling that we have transformed from a platform to a community and serve as an emotional respite for so many.? Wattpad has made me feel accepted, celebrated, and valued like no other past job could because I am able to share my full identity without guilt or burden. I no longer believe I have to be a contortionist to belong and succeed.?

Looking into the future, what are some goals you have for your career?

As I’ve grown in my career and gained roles of leadership, my goal is to break barriers and biases by leading with honesty, compassion, and openness. I believe these values create an environment of inclusion and diversity versus taking a checkbox approach to hiring a team based on their ethnicity and demographic profiles. I also believe your team can bring their full selves to work when they’re encouraged to be curious, to challenge norms and to ask why. When your team is able to be candid and inquisitive, it fosters critical thinking and fuels our ability to innovate, evolve and stay relevant with our community and users.?

Danielle Zacarias, Head of Content and Creator Development

How can leaders be an ally and advocate for their API colleagues and employees?

If you have someone on your team who is smart and hard working, but is quieter in meetings or seems as though they need a bit more support to seize authority, give them space to express themselves outside of packed meetings, like through writing or in smaller group settings. Give them the permission they need to take control. It’s a small gesture that will go a long way to getting the most of your team.?

What advice would you give to those looking to boost their confidence or leadership skills?

First, don’t beat yourself up for not being more confident in the first place. This is not a personal failing you have. Confidence is built through many different avenues and one of them is through feedback from other people. How people perceive you inevitably impacts you. If people react to you in a way that suggests they don't expect you to speak up, have opinions, or push the status quo, it’s impacting you whether you know it or not. Once you accept this, you can start to change it. Look for the things, the places, the people where you feel the most confident and where you get the most positive feedback. Try to fix that version of yourself in your mind, lean into that identity, and then try to understand what it is about those places, people, and situations that make you feel more confident. Can you take those learnings and use them to engineer confidence in other situations you don’t feel more confident?

Walter Demesa, Senior Account Manager of Brand Partnerships

In what ways has your heritage, culture, or unique experiences shaped the way you approach your work?

Coming from an API background, I approach work through a lens of always seeking and championing representation. Asians represent nearly 20% of the Canadian population, so I’m always curious how that large share is reflected in the workplace, leadership, and advertising. Being part of brand partnerships and being in the advertising space, I do feel a sense of responsibility to make sure that the proposals, creatives, and imagery we put forth for brands have POCs visually represented in them.?

What is your vision for the future of tech and storytelling?

Although the API community is highly visible in tech, we often feel that breaking into the managerial level is a different story. It joys me to see someone that looks like me in senior or C-Suite leadership. My vision for the future of tech is that hiring API employees into leadership positions isn’t just about checking a box or affirmative action, but actually becomes second-nature. In terms of storytelling, the conscious shift to sharing about the rich cultures of API people is important. The Asian experience adds a different layer to massive genres like romance, allowing us to weave in our specific experiences about Filipino, Indian, or Korean love.?

Dexter Ong, Managing Director, International - Interim Head of Content & Creators at Wattpad WEBTOON Studios

In what ways has your heritage, culture, or unique experiences shaped the way you approach your work?

Growing up in Singapore—a country meaningfully shaped by immigrants from all over Asia and beyond—I was taught by my parents from a young age that you have to put in the work in order to see results. When times are hard, you have to persevere. If you do not try hard enough, you will not know your limits and what you can potentially achieve. Immigrants accomplished many feats in Singapore without the privileges I enjoy today. They worked hard to make the best of their circumstances. It’s a privilege to have this job and, with that in mind, I approach my work with diligence and dedication. I will show up for my teams and the creators we work with and I will do the work that is needed to make them successful.

How can leaders be allies and advocates to their API colleagues and employees?

I think every individual, whether API or not, has a special story to tell about how their culture has shaped the way they approach life. I encourage leaders to spend the time to ask, engage and listen to their stories and how it has shaped their character and motivations.

Tim Reyes, Associate Director of IP Marketing

How can leaders be an ally and advocate for their API colleagues and employees?

I’ve been lucky to have been mentored by incredibly talented API executives. They exposed me to situations and experiences that I likely wouldn’t have if someone else was in that leadership position. I believe that mentorship is invaluable to junior employees as it has been for me. API leaders have a responsibility to pass the torch and mentor colleagues as it provides exposure for future API leaders. If you don’t have one yet, find someone to mentor—I am sure there are many who would value your advice!

What does Wattpad mean to you?

For me, Wattpad is a place that can hopefully push the boundaries of storytelling through technology. Admittedly, we fall under the same traps as I mentioned in the previous questions, so there is a very long way to go. However, I do see leaders acknowledging the problems we currently face with an intention to work towards a future that can be different, where diverse perspectives and stories have a greater voice. The road is long but the support is there to help us inch closer one step at a time.?

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Wattpad began with the intention of democratizing entertainment. Now, 16 years later, it’s a community that reaches every corner of the world, bringing people together with a love of great storytelling and a passion for amplifying new voices. Our story—just like our founders and the faces behind that big orange W—is as diverse as our users. And that’s something we’re proud of.