People

Michelle Tay

Manager

Michelle is equal parts creative and strategic, and brings a unique skillset and cross-functional expertise to managing Vivaldi’s brand protection practice. Her ability to look at a problem in 3D, spin it around, and propose out-of-the-box solutions enable her to orchestrate powerful narratives that, among other things, help brands protect and defend their strength and equity in the marketplace. She is proud to have told the brand stories and purposes of some incredible global names in fashion, retail, technology, and automotive in ways that have won them sizable settlements in court.

Michelle had a previous career as a journalist in Singapore and New York, reporting and editing for publications as varied as The Straits Times, Artinfo.com, and TheStreet.com.

She holds an M.A. in Business Journalism from Columbia University, an M.A. in International Peace and Security from King’s College London, and a B.A. (Hons) in International Relations from New York University. She speaks six languages, including French, Italian, and Mandarin, but dreams in English.

When Michelle is outside of the office, you can find her inside a metalsmithing studio, designing and making one-of-a-kind pieces of fine jewelry. She hopes to one day found her own purpose-led brand.

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Michelle Tay Vivaldi

Challenges taken on recently

  • Helping an international brand realize an insidious change in its brand strength that would otherwise have gone unnoticed
  • Helping a communications solutions provider transform into a long-term, credible partner with a new market segment
  • Mastering the art of fermentation in baking

Likes to talk about

  • Why less is more
  • Finding/building purpose for your brand
  • Food science

Is reading or listening to

  • "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
  • "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek
  • "The Hidden Brain" podcast hosted by Shankar Vedantam