![\"Lee](\"https:\/\/apicms.thestar.com.my\/uploads\/images\/2025\/09\/11\/3515714.jpg\")
Lee describes time as an emotional currency. \u2014 YAP CHEE HONG\/The Star<\/p>\nIn today\u2019s hyper-digital age \u2013 where platforms rise and fade quicker than the latest TikTok trend \u2013 it takes more than just ambition to thrive.<\/p>\n
It takes vision. It takes courage. And it takes an instinctive ability to connect the dots where others see only noise.<\/p>\n
At 28, Lee Jing Qi embodies all of that.<\/p>\n
As the CEO of Atlantis Agency and the founder of luxury gifting brand Gift Umore, she has carved out a path that fuses creativity with strategy, empathy with innovation and courage with purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cEntrepreneurship, to me, isn\u2019t about building businesses for the sake of it,\u201d she says with quiet conviction. \u201cIt\u2019s about asking \u2013 what impact can I make? What legacy can I leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
That ethos has not only won her awards and recognition but has also positioned her as a compelling young leader reshaping how brands connect with people.<\/p>\n
The spark at 19<\/p>\n
Lee\u2019s entrepreneurial streak revealed itself early.<\/p>\n
At just 19, while most of her peers were figuring out career paths or college, she was already scrutinising the marketing landscape with a keen eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I saw was a sea of agencies doing the same thing over and over,\u201d shares Lee during the Life Inspired cover shoot at Blossom A Glassmansion, a chic restaurant and event space she owns along Jalan Imbi in Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were following formulas that might have worked in the past, but the world was changing. Consumer behaviour was changing. Social platforms were exploding. And yet, the strategies felt… dated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee describes time as an emotional currency. \u2014 YAP CHEE HONG\/The Star<\/p>\n
Her \u201caha\u201d moment came in a pitch meeting where a client asked: \u2018Why are we generating buzz but not conversions?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThat question hung in the air like a challenge. Nobody had an answer,\u201d she remembers. \u201cIt struck me then \u2013 the real problem wasn\u2019t visibility. It was connection. Brands were shouting, but nobody was really listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
And so, with little more than instinct, determination, and a willingness to take risks, she launched Atlantis Agency.<\/p>\n
What began as an experiment has since grown into an award-winning powerhouse \u2013 bagging the Asia Pacific Top Excellence Enterprise Award and driving impact for brands across industries.<\/p>\n
For Lee, success has never been about flashy numbers or vanity metrics. It\u2019s about resonance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Atlantis, our job isn\u2019t just to sell a product. It\u2019s to make people feel something,\u201d she explains. \u201cEvery brand has a soul. Our role is to uncover it and amplify it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atlantis Agency today offers the full suite of services \u2013 branding, advertising, web development, and digital strategy \u2013 but its signature lies in campaigns that people remember not because they\u2019re loud, but because they\u2019re authentic.<\/p>\n
Her mantra \u2013 “Create with heart, lead with courage” \u2013 is etched into the agency\u2019s DNA.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s what guides her team in developing campaigns that balance data with storytelling, strategy with empathy.<\/p>\n
This philosophy also flows seamlessly into her second venture, Gift Umore, a luxury gifting brand that blends artificial intelligence with cultural insight to curate truly meaningful experiences.<\/p>\n
For Lee, gifting is not just an exchange of items \u2013 it\u2019s a form of psychology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve found that the biggest challenge people face when choosing a gift is: \u2018How do I give something that truly conveys my emotions?\u2019 That\u2019s why Gift Umore was built on the belief that a gift is not just an object, but a vessel for memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not just selling products,\u201d she reiterates. \u201cWe\u2019re creating moments of connection. A gift should never feel transactional. It should feel intentional, thoughtful, even transformative.\u201d<\/p>\n
Motherhood and leadership<\/p>\n
In the midst of scaling businesses and bagging awards, Lee also stepped into another life-defining role \u2013 motherhood. Today, she\u2019s a proud mum to a one-year-old son.<\/p>\n
\u201cMotherhood changes everything,\u201d she admits candidly. \u201cIt forces you to rethink your priorities, your energy, your time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many working mothers, she faced the daunting task of balancing diapers and deadlines, pitches and playtime. Her solution? A mindset shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped chasing balance \u2013 it doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d she laughs. \u201cInstead, I chose presence. When I\u2019m with my son, I\u2019m there fully. When I\u2019m leading my team, I\u2019m there fully. Love and clarity can exist even in chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n
That grounded approach shapes her leadership style.<\/p>\n
She fosters a culture of openness at Atlantis, mentoring young talent and encouraging them to think beyond formulas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want my team to know: you don\u2019t have to play by outdated rules. You can create your own.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee is acutely aware of the hurdles she has faced as a young woman in a space often dominated by men.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople told me, \u2018Don\u2019t go too big \u2013 build something small but beautiful,\u2019\u201d she recalls. \u201cBut why should women dream smaller? I never wanted to be labelled a \u2018female entrepreneur.\u2019 I wanted to be recognised as an entrepreneur, full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her advice for the next generation of female leaders is clear: \u201cDon\u2019t wait for opportunities \u2013 create them.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t conform to market expectations \u2013 define your own. And finally, don\u2019t settle for fitting into a system \u2013 build a better one.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about proving yourself to others,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s about proving to yourself that you can step into the spaces you once thought were out of reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Success stories often gloss over the bumps on the road, but Lee is<\/p>\n
refreshingly honest about hers. One campaign in particular stands out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had invested heavily in visuals, media placement, and data-driven tactics. On paper, it was flawless. But when we launched \u2013 it fell flat. The audience just didn\u2019t connect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of brushing it under the rug, Lee dissected the failure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat experience was humbling. But it taught me something essential: the market doesn\u2019t reward the most creative campaign. It rewards the one that truly understands people.\u201d<\/p>\n
From that lesson, she forged her personal commandments for business: Empathy over ego, strategy before aesthetics and data with soul.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can break the rules,\u201d she reasons, \u201cbut first you must understand them completely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ask Lee about time, and she won\u2019t talk in hours or minutes. Instead, she describes it as an emotional currency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI measure time in love, respect, and energy,\u201d she reflects. \u201cIt\u2019s not about being punctual\u2014it\u2019s about presence. What matters is how people feel when you show up.\u201d (True to form, a smiling Lee showed up for our shoot right on the dot.)<\/p>\n
Her appreciation for time extends to her love for timepieces. For Lee, watches aren\u2019t just accessories. They\u2019re storytellers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach watch in my collection marks a milestone. I don\u2019t buy them to own; I buy them to remember,\u201d she shares. Her dream piece? A Patek Philippe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about prestige. It\u2019s about legacy. One day, I hope to pass it on to my son \u2014 with stories embedded in every second it has counted.\u201d<\/p>\n
As she looks to the future, Lee is as ambitious as she is grounded.<\/p>\n
Her vision is simple but powerful: to build businesses that are profitable, yes \u2014 but also profoundly meaningful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not here to follow market trends,\u201d she concludes. \u201cWe\u2019re here to shape them. To be architects of what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if her story proves anything, it\u2019s that the boldest moves are the ones rooted in meaning.<\/p>\n
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