Campaign’s PR Faces to Watch 2026 – Merlyn Selvanathan, Creative Strategist, Sumea Social
Campaign’s PR Faces to Watch 2026 – Merlyn Selvanathan, Creative Strategist, Sumea Social
Age: 25
Country: United Arab Emirates
Nominated by Svenja Maltzahn, CEO & Founder:
Having worked across global agencies in Europe and the Middle East, Merlyn is one of the most impressive professionals I have worked with. She is an exceptionally fast learner who implements feedback instantly and consistently goes beyond expectations. Despite being trained as a designer, she has grown into a true 360 degree talent, leading client meetings, shaping PR and personal branding strategies, designing high level outputs, and managing clients independently. Merlyn raises the standard for everyone around her and is undoubtedly a face to watch in 2026.
Career highlights
Merlyn is a Creative Strategist at Sumea Social, combining design, personal branding, and PR strategy. She holds a double award Master’s degree in Interaction Design from Regent’s University London and began her career as a UX designer. After joining Sumea Social as a designer, she was promoted within three months to Creative Strategist, where she now leads personal branding strategy, visual positioning, and client delivery. With an international upbringing across the UK, US, Germany, and beyond, Merlyn brings a global perspective and consistently raises the agency’s strategic and creative standards.
Guiding principles
Merlyn’s guiding principle is quality first. She believes strategy and aesthetics must work together. Her work is defined by clarity, precision, and a no-fluff mindset, delivering outputs that are both strategically sound and visually refined, setting a new internal quality benchmark at Sumea Social.
Side hustle
Merlyn developed an in-house wardrobe and color analysis offering at Sumea Social, complementing personal branding and PR strategies. She supports clients with styling, visual direction, and photography, ensuring alignment between strategy, appearance, and confidence across public facing roles.
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