She is the Chairmom® and founder of The Misfits Camp, the first-ever safe space for the creative neurodiverse. The Misfits Camp is the first facility in the world to assess and train neurodivergent and deaf creative adults and bridge them to the creative industry.
She is the author of “Create Different”, a mind book to assess the creative skills of adults in the autistic spectrum, by introducing the artistic spectrum.
Before this, Merlee was an advertising veteran and a creative leader. She led Dentsu International Asia and 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 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.
The 2019 Drum Global Ranking announced the top 100 Chief Creative Officers globally; she was one of the eight women on the list.
Recognized with the Hall of Fame Award by the 4As Creative Guild, The New York Festivals Creative Achievement Award, and the CEO of the Year by the International Association of Business Communicators, she was the first to be awarded the SEA Creative of the Year by Campaign Asia in 2013, The Asian Marketing Federation Woman Marketer of the Year in 2019, and the Campaign Asia’s Women Leading Change Women’s Advancement Champion for her creative work for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2022.
In 2023, she was the 4As of the Philippines Lifetime Achievement Awardee.
Her work pushes Insights and innovation and inspires creative collaboration.
As Dentsu Jayme Syfu and Dentsu One Manila’s Chairmom, she won major awards, including a Cannes Lion, Grand Prix for Mobile, Gold and Silver Lions for outdoor, and Grand CLIO, LIA, The One Show, and yellow D&AD pencils.
She is one of CNN’s Leading Women, a mom to 4 creative women, and an inspiration in breaking the glass ceiling in this mad men’s world.