Asia’s creative economy is being shaped by people who combine creativity with technology, entrepreneurship, and cultural influence. From digital creators and designers to advertising leaders, entertainment entrepreneurs, and AI innovators, they are redefining how ideas are created, shared, and experienced across the region.
This year’s Top 10 Voices Shaping Asia’s Creative Economy in 2026 recognizes individuals whose work goes beyond producing great content. They are building communities, preserving culture, advancing creative technology, and creating new opportunities for the next generation of creators.
While their expertise spans different industries, they share a common ability to turn creative thinking into meaningful impact. Together, they reflect the diversity and momentum of Asia’s evolving creative landscape.
Highlights
Kavya Karnatac
Founder, KK Create
Few creators have demonstrated the power of educational storytelling as effectively as Kavya Karnatac. Through KK Create, she has organically built a community of more than 8 million followers across Instagram and YouTube with a simple but ambitious mission: bringing India’s diverse cultures together through accessible, research-driven content.
Kavya’s success is rooted in hands-on creativity. She launched KK Create as a solo creator, managing everything from research and scripting to editing, publishing, and community building before growing the company into a team of ten. Earlier in her career, she also helped accelerate the growth of Pocket Aces’ Nutshell India, contributing to the channel’s expansion from 220,000 to one million followers in just four months.
Supported by a background in media studies, theatre, and social development, Kavya demonstrates how digital creators can preserve culture, educate audiences, and build sustainable creative businesses at scale.
Elie Habib
Co-Founder, Anghami
When music streaming was still in its early stages across the Middle East and North Africa, Elie Habib helped build what would become the region’s leading homegrown streaming platform. Since co-founding Anghami in 2012, he has helped transform it into a digital entertainment ecosystem featuring more than 100 million songs, podcasts, live entertainment, and over 18,000 hours of premium video content following its integration with OSN+.
Before Anghami, Elie spent nearly a decade building mobile communication technologies through PowerMeMobile, where his platforms supported operators across numerous countries and processed hundreds of millions of SMS messages every month.
His career illustrates how technology can strengthen the creative economy by giving artists, creators, and audiences better ways to discover, distribute, and experience digital content across the region.
Vibha Singh
Program Head – AI, Google at Toaster
As artificial intelligence reshapes creative work, Vibha Singh has become one of the professionals helping agencies and brands turn experimentation into practical capability. At Toaster, she built and scaled Google’s first AI Studio, leading the integration of AI tools into campaign development while creating workflows that improved creative speed and effectiveness.
Her leadership in creative AI extends across multiple organisations. At OLIVER Agency, she established the company’s AI team from the ground up while contributing to award-winning campaigns and helping secure work with major brands including Dove, Lakmé, Taj Mahal, Lipton, Bru, and Elle. She also led AI-powered storytelling initiatives for Pocket FM’s US market, applying generative AI to drama and fantasy content development.
Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for creativity, Vibha’s work demonstrates how emerging technology can amplify creative thinking, enabling teams to work faster while maintaining strong strategic and human-centered storytelling.
Yat Siu
Founder, Animoca
Long before Web3 became a global movement, Yat Siu was building companies at the intersection of technology, gaming, and digital creativity. His entrepreneurial journey includes founding Outblaze, which grew to serve more than 75 million end users worldwide before its messaging assets were acquired by IBM in 2009, helping establish one of IBM’s first cloud computing initiatives in Hong Kong.
Today, as the founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, Yat has become one of Asia’s leading advocates for digital property rights. Under his leadership, the company has developed and published more than 200 mobile applications, accumulated over 50 million downloads, and helped pioneer blockchain gaming through titles and investments that have shaped the global Web3 ecosystem.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Yat serves on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development, contributing to policies that support innovation and the future of digital ownership. His career continues to demonstrate how technology can empower creators, communities, and new forms of digital value.
Atiya Zaidi
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Pakistan
Few creative leaders have done more to elevate Pakistan’s advertising industry on the global stage than Atiya Zaidi. As Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Pakistan, she leads the country’s most awarded agency, bringing more than 20 years of experience across local and international brands.
Her achievements include winning Pakistan’s first-ever Glass Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2023. She is also the first Pakistani to serve as Jury President at Spikes Asia, the first selected for the Cannes Lions See It Be It programme (2017), and the first to serve on the Cannes Lions Awarding Jury (SDG, 2024).
In addition, she has been a One Show Jury member (Film, 2024), participated in D&AD’s Rare Creative Programme, was named to Pitch Magazine’s 100 Superwomen list in 2019, and is the only Pakistani to have served as Mentor-at-Large for Cannes Lions for two consecutive years. Beyond advertising, she also wrote a film that was released on Netflix.
Throughout her career, Atiya has served as a juror for numerous international and regional awards, including Spikes Asia, Clio Awards, ADC, The One Show, Andy Awards, Lisbon Advertising Awards, MENA Digital Awards, APAC Awards, Young Spikes, and Effie Pakistan. Her leadership continues to inspire a new generation of creative professionals while raising Pakistan’s profile within the global advertising industry.
Stay updated with her latest work and insights on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Facebook.
Huy Nguyen
Founder, MONOLOG
For Huy Nguyen, great design is measured by business impact as much as visual excellence. Through MONOLOG, the award-winning brand and web design studio he founded, he has helped clients secure more than US$5 million in pre-seed funding, generate over US$2 million in new business within three months, improve website engagement by 58%, and earn more than 30 international design awards.
His portfolio spans startups, established brands, universities, and creative agencies, combining strategic positioning with carefully crafted digital experiences. Beyond client work, Huy also shares the realities of building a creative business with a growing audience of more than 60,000 designers, freelancers, and creative founders across YouTube and LinkedIn.
By treating design as a strategic business asset rather than simply a visual service, Huy is helping redefine how creative studios create long-term value for brands across Asia.
Rachel How
Video Lead, Mobbin
Rachel How is helping a new generation of designers learn faster through accessible, practical content. With more than 270,000 YouTube subscribers and 37,000 Instagram followers, she has built one of Asia’s most recognized channels covering UI/UX design, AI-assisted workflows, and creative productivity.
In 2026, Rachel joined Mobbin as Video Lead, where she oversees the company’s YouTube strategy from concept to production. Her impact was immediate. Mobbin’s channel grew from 200 to 7,500 subscribers in just six days after its first educational video, reached 15,000 subscribers within two months, and has since surpassed 20,000 subscribers. She leads every stage of the process, from researching product design trends to hosting videos, interviewing industry experts, and optimizing performance.
Alongside her content work, Rachel continues to work as an independent product designer, creating digital products for clients around the world. By combining professional design expertise with engaging educational content, she is making high-quality design knowledge more accessible to aspiring creatives everywhere.
Aun Koh
Assistant Chief Executive (Marketing & Development), National Gallery Singapore
Few people have influenced Singapore’s creative and cultural landscape across as many disciplines as Aun Koh. Beginning his career as a journalist before founding the influential lifestyle magazine East, he has since led editorial, branding, communications, and cultural initiatives spanning media, hospitality, philanthropy, and the arts.
Today, Aun leads fundraising, partnerships, marketing, communications, and creative services at the National Gallery Singapore, home to the world’s largest public collection of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art. Before that, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Tatler Singapore, overseeing editorial strategy and branded content, and held senior leadership roles at TripAdvisor, Everise, abillion, and The Ate Group.
His contributions extend well beyond publishing. Aun helped launch the Singapore Biennale, revitalised the Singapore Writers Festival, co-founded the private members’ club Straits Clan, serves on the board of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and is the founding chairman of Pangdemonium Theatre Company. His career demonstrates how storytelling, culture, and leadership can strengthen the creative economy far beyond traditional media.
Defri Dwipaputra
Chief Creative & Experience Officer, Dentsu Creative
With more than a decade of experience in advertising and brand communications, Defri Dwipaputra is one of Indonesia’s leading creative executives. As Chief Creative & Experience Officer at Dentsu Creative, he leads creative strategy at one of the world’s largest agency networks, blending brand thinking, technology, and customer experience to create integrated campaigns.
Previously, Defri served as Executive Creative Director at Dentsu Creative and led creative marketing at Bukalapak, where he played a key role in shaping the company’s brand and communication strategy during a pivotal stage of its growth.
Throughout his career, Defri has combined creativity with business strategy across branding, digital marketing, and customer experience. His work has earned more than 150 local and international awards in creativity, marketing, and effectiveness, including recognition from Cannes Lions, The One Show, Spikes Asia, ADFEST, MAD Stars, and Citra Pariwara.
His leadership reflects the growing role of creativity as a catalyst for business transformation across Southeast Asia.
Alexander Fernandez
Co-Founder & CEO, Streamline Studios
Alexander Fernandez has spent more than 25 years building one of Asia’s leading game development and creative technology companies. As Co-Founder and CEO of Streamline Studios, he has grown the business from a startup in Amsterdam into a global creative powerhouse, delivering more than 500 projects for industry leaders including Sony, Microsoft, and Balenciaga.
Under his leadership, Streamline Studios has contributed to globally recognized AAA franchises such as Gears of War, BioShock Infinite, and Street Fighter V, proving that world-class creative production can be built from Asia. Today, the company employs more than 200 creative professionals across Asia, North America, Japan, and Latin America while advancing AI-powered production through its Streamframe platform.
Beyond commercial success, Fernandez has consistently championed creative talent in emerging markets and advocates for the Global South as a driver of innovation rather than a source of outsourced production. His work continues to strengthen Asia’s position as a global leader in digital entertainment, creative technology, and AI-enabled content creation.
The Future of Asia Will Be Built by Creative Minds
Asia’s creative economy is no longer driven by traditional industries alone. It is being shaped by creators, entrepreneurs, designers, technologists, and cultural leaders who are turning ideas into businesses, communities, and global influence.
The ten individuals featured in this list come from different backgrounds, but they share one defining quality: they are creating lasting impact through creativity. Their work demonstrates that creative leadership is becoming a powerful force for innovation, economic growth, and cultural influence across the region.
As Asia continues to evolve, its future will be shaped not only by technological breakthroughs but also by the creative minds who imagine new possibilities and inspire others to build them.
Editorial Note:
This feature is independently curated by the NewInAsia editorial team and is not a paid or sponsored listing. We research professionals using publicly available information, primarily LinkedIn, and conduct an editorial review based on factors such as expertise, consistency of public contributions, engagement quality, professional credibility, and relevance to the featured topic. This is a curated editorial feature, not a definitive ranking.
Highlights
Read the Chinese article here.
