Brand Builder · Editor · Co-Founder · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Lina Esa
Visionary brand builder, marketer, and editorial leader with 15+ years transforming publishing, the creative industry, and the creator economy.
Speciality
Brand Strategy & Growth
Experience
15+ Years · Media, Publishing & Tech
Currently
Fractional CMO/Marketing Consultant
Who I Am
A more human way of standing out.
I’m dedicated to bringing a human touch to the age of AI for marketing teams of SMEs. Why? Because while you can move at the speed of automation, humans know what humans want, and I can strategise and storytell that for you.
I’m a brand builder, marketer, and editorial leader with 15 years at the intersection of culture, creativity, and commerce. I’ve shaped one of Malaysia’s most recognisable media brands and built, from the group up, a tech platform for the creator economy that gained tens of thousands of users.My career has two distinct acts. First, a decade in editorial, where I modernised CLEO Malaysia in its print and digital iterations, securing global partnerships and running high-value campaigns for brands like Dior and Chanel. When COVID happened and CLEO shut down, I moved into tech, co-founding Cult Creative, which initially was a community app. I was instrumental in strategically pivoting it and scaling it into a profitable creator marketing platform.
I thrive where editorial insight and a community, human touch can drive a fully strategic commercial strategy.
Areas of Expertise
May 2020 — Present
Co-Founder & CMO
Cult Creative
Co-founded Southeast Asia’s creator marketing platform — now operating across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Led the strategic pivot from a loss-making freelancer network to a profit-making platform, growing revenue from RM5k to RM200k within a single quarter. Built the entire marketing engine — content, CRM, B2B funnels, and RevOps — from scratch, with a 20k organic audience and 15K+ user database, zero paid advertising.
Delivered a 400% increase in qualified leads, RM10.5k Average Order Value, and 797% return on ad spend.
Apr 2016 — Apr 2020
Editor
CLEO Malaysia
Led editorial, print, events, and marketing for Malaysia’s leading lifestyle magazine — overseeing a full rebrand for a new generation of readers.
Launched CLEO TV, an industry-first magazine YouTube talk show on a bootstrapped budget, securing Benefit, Dior, Triumph, and Samsung as sponsors. Secured global brand cover partnerships driving both commercial growth and cultural prestige.
Get In Touch
Let’s build something.
Whether you’re looking for a strategic marketing leader, a brand co-builder, or a creative director who understands the numbers — I’d love to hear from you.
lina esa 