• BrandFest 2025
Suhayl Limbada is the market lead and chief marketing officer at KFC Thailand, where he leads brand strategy for over 1,000 restaurants nationwide. Recognised on Campaign Asia's Asia-Pacific Power List for 2025, he has been credited for blending cultural relevance with commercial sharpness across major creative campaigns. Under his leadership, KFC Thailand won 'Advertiser of the Year' and delivered socially impactful initiatives, from youth education programmes to innovative sustainability efforts. He shared with Shivangi Agarwal of The Himalayan Times his insights on building bold, purpose-led brand culture, creative risk-taking, and how originality can drive connection in a fast-moving market. Excerpts:
As the marketing leader for KFC Thailand, you've managed a globally recognised brand in a dynamic market. How do you balance staying true to a global brand identity while connecting with local audiences?
As a leader, I've always pushed myself into diverse cultures because it forces you to see the world through lenses other than your own. This combined with a huge amount of trust in my Thai team shapes how we build the brand in Thailand. We anchor ourselves in KFC's global truth, but then work hard to make that truth mean something real for Thai consumers. KFC has a strong global DNA, but relevance is always earned locally. We listen deeply, observe culture with humility, and ensure every idea carries the brand's essence while feeling unmistakably Thai. When you get that balance right, the work feels both familiar and fresh.
Many modern brands aim to build deeper emotional connections with their customers. From your experience with KFC, what do you think makes a brand genuinely relatable and trusted?
I always believe that people don't connect to brands, they connect to how brands show up especially in today's connected society. Trust is built when a brand behaves with consistency, humanity and a little vulnerability. At KFC, we don't take ourselves too seriously - we serve great tasting fried chicken. Whenever we've shown up in real life with a bit of a cheeky smile, fun and humour whilst also being with people during tough times, the brand stops being a logo and becomes a companion. We are relatable because we are sincere in our intent and it's as simple as that.
Purpose-led marketing has become a key conversation in brand strategy. How can large brands communicate purpose authentically without seeming performative?
I've said this many times about Purpose. It's all about your intention. Purpose has to be lived before it's communicated. If it only exists in a deck or a press release, it is inherently insincere and people will feel the gap immediately. For us, purpose shows up in the decisions we make on a daily basis, how we treat our people, how we support our communities and how we use our platform to lift others. When your brand actions are clear with that sincere intent, the communication is simply an invitation for people to witness what's already true.
Leading marketing in a fast-moving consumer business requires both creativity and consistency. What lessons have you learned about keeping a brand relevant across different regions and audiences?
Across multiple markets, the biggest lesson I've learned is that relevance is not a series of moments but rather, it is a discipline. Brands don't stay relevant because of one big cultural moment, they stay relevant because they build a continuous rhythm of listening, creating with care, learning and adapting. Relevance is a muscle that needs investment every single day from your brand leaders to your social media admin.
Working across regions has taught me that creativity and consistency should never be opposites, they are completely interlocked. In my case, Africa taught me the power of boldness, of playing confidently in culture and earning attention through bravery. Thailand taught me the value of nuance, the importance of truly listening, respecting context and understanding the emotional undercurrent of a market. What I've realised is that the most enduring brands are the ones that evolve with courage, but stay anchored with pin point clarity. No matter how you flex, if you always stay true to your centre, you always win.
With digital engagement dominating today, what do you think are the most effective ways for a global brand like KFC to foster a sense of belongingness among customers?
I think it's made it more fun and interesting to be honest. Today, a sense of belongingness comes from participating in a brand, not just receiving communication from a brand. Digital gives us the ability to bring communities into the brand, whether through working with content creators or consumers themselves, storytelling or experiences that make people feel seen. For a global brand like KFC, the sense of belongingness is built when our digital presence reflects real people, real conversations and real culture, not just polished content.
BrandFest 2025 focuses on 'Branding in the Age of Belonging'. What is one insight or message you're excited to share with participants about building brands that connect meaningfully?
The insight I'm most excited to share is this, in today's world, people don't want to follow brands, they want to be part of them. Belonging is created when a brand has the courage to show its soul, stay consistent in its values, have the courage to play with consumers and invite people into something bigger than a transaction. If we build brands with heart, bravery and genuine cultural empathy, connection becomes inevitable.
