Women to Watch 2025: Kelly Johnston, Sandpiper

Kelly Johnston

Chief operating officer
Sandpiper
Hong Kong

As COO of one the region’s fastest-growing PR agencies, Kelly Johnston has transformed the Sandpiper’s central functions—across marketing strategy, finance, HR, culture, and career development—while remaining hands-on with clients. Her impact has been felt across the region when the Southeast Asia business grew by 50% in her first year despite the pandemic, when she set up the Beijing office, and when she led the acquisition of NorthHead’s 40-strong team in China. She also established the award-winning Sandpiper Research and Insights, an agency research arm, as well as built the firm’s ESG practice.

Her leadership helped position Sandpiper as a top player in the region, securing multiple Agency of the Year and Best Place to Work accolades from the likes of PRWeek and PRCA. Most notably, the agency increased revenue five-fold from US$2.5 million to US$11.5 million in five years without outside investment. She now leads a 150-strong team and oversees revenue that has grown to five times its 2019 level.

Johnston has successfully built strategic partnerships with top-tier clients such as AstraZeneca, GE, Cloudflare, Cisco and Schneider Electric to name a few, and delivered an impressive 70% win rate for new client acquisitions. In 2024 alone, she added US$1.5 million in new-business revenue contributions, improved client retention levels to 92%, and increased revenue from existing clients to 80%.

Her impact isn’t just external. Internally, she champions progressive structures including employee ownership schemes, flexible work benefits, and introduced a 1% revenue reinvestment into learning and development, all which helped with retention rates. For instance, when the company’s employee survey revealed that staff wanted more structure to maximise flexible working benefits, she expanded guidelines and support tools.

Innovation is Johnston’s trademark. She spearheaded the launch of Sandpiper Research & Insights, a US$1.5 million division and established the region’s first dedicated ESG practice. Her data-led initiatives have sparked industry-wide dialogue and shaped how Sandpiper engages with C-suites across sectors. 

Beyond business, she’s a mentor, speaker, board member, and sustainability advocate. WHile balancing executive leadership with motherhood and continuous learning (including a Master's in Environmental Management from NUS), Johnston is the embodiment of the ultimate do-it-all.