Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Back in 2020, I wrote about the tension between “change” and “evolve.” At the time, the big “C” dominated everything, and we were all asking ourselves: does real progress come from forcing change, or from allowing ourselves to evolve? I shared a simple anecdote then: a teenager insisting his parents had changed him, while they countered that he had simply evolved i.e., picking what to adopt, what to ignore, and how to apply it in his life. It stuck with me because it’s true beyond families: people rarely change because someone else tells them to. They evolve because the environment nudges them, and because they choose to. Fast forward to 2025. Different buzzwords, different fires to put out... but the same question is playing out on a much bigger stage. Do we change, or do we evolve? Change is noisier than ever In Southeast Asia, the forces of change are everywhere: AI disruptions  -- Malaysian SMEs are racing to plug in tools, while Singapore is already regulating usage. T...

Revisiting | Change or Evolve? Commentary by Farrell Tan Change is everywhere. Whether in your career, relationships, health, or the wider economic climate, adjustment is inevitable. We’ve all seen it amplified recently with the big “C” turning lives, businesses, and entire industries upside down. I was reminded of this during a conversation Craig and I once had with Michelle Nunis while mapping out Orchan’s 2020 business plans (yes, pre-C). Our discussion circled around what change really means; and whether “evolve” is perhaps a more fitting word. Change feels abrupt, immediate; evolve suggests growth, progress, a natural flow forward. That thought sat on the backburner until a few days ago, when I overheard a debate between friends and their teenage son. He insisted his parents had changed him. They countered: they hadn’t changed him at all. What they had done was shine light on issues, offer perspectives, and suggest options. He chose what to adopt, what to ignore, and ...

Humans of Orchan | Farrell Tan  | The Story Continues   It’s been a while since I last wrote about myself - probably because I’ve already shared the “origin story” of how I stumbled into this industry (if you missed it, you can catch it here:  Humans of Orchan | Farrell Tan ("The Other Boss") . That was just before my 40th birthday. Fast forward a few years, and I find myself looking ahead - asking the inevitable “what’s next?” Orchan will always be my first “baby.” But like any restless parent, I started toying with the idea of having another. I bounced ideas off the team, leaned on mentors, swapped notes with friends who are disrupting the status quo, and watched clients push boundaries with ridiculous creativity. Yet nothing clicked. The truth is, ideas can’t be forced. They arrive when you least expect them - sometimes from the unlikeliest places. I guess this is where I introduce our new “baby”: The Third Degree. The idea had been floating around for years; Craig...

Farrell Tan Founding Director "The Other Boss", but you better call him Farrell So apparently it’s my turn to share a bit about myself. Around the office, I’m often referred to as “the other boss.” And compared to the rest of the team, I’m definitely the more marcom person;  having cut my teeth in international agencies, mentored by some of the best in the business. Truth be told, I never pictured myself in this line of work. Never in a million years did I imagine co-owning an agency with a Kiwi (not the fruit, though some would argue otherwise!) - working with brands I admire and, in many cases, grew up with. Life’s funny that way. I grew up in a fairly utilitarian household in Melaka. My dad was a teacher, my mum a nurse, and like all good government servants, they preached the importance of education: tuition, extra-curriculars, the works. Luckily for us, there wasn’t much to distract us in small-town Melaka back then, other than tree-climbing, neighbourhood b...

It’s not every day (or even every year) an agency gets to wear a superhero cape. But in 2015, Orchan Consulting Asia did just that, taking home not one but two accolades at Advertising + Marketing Magazine’s AOTY Awards: PR Agency of the Year (Bronze) and the coveted Local Hero Award . The Bronze win recognised our results across three fronts: success for our clients, success as an agency, and contribution to the wider communications industry. In other words, it was a nod to the work we delivered throughout 2014 - campaigns that weren’t just effective, but cost-savvy, creative, and industry-shaping. The Local Hero Award carried its own weight. As a proudly Malaysian-owned boutique agency competing against mostly international heavyweights, being singled out as a “hero” agency meant our approach was cutting through. It showed that businesses value the way Orchan thinks and the change we orchestrate for their brands. Managing Director, Craig J Selby and Founding Director, Farrell ...