Spark Leader
Through her passion for innovation and collaboration, Marleen Go-Uyecio has helped make Kuysen a transformative place where ideas collide and flourish
With over 30 years of dedication to quality, Kuysen stands as a stronghold of luxury furnishings for the carefully curated and crafted home. The Kuysen Design + Experience Center, a five-storey building along Jupiter Street in Makati, houses an impressive array of home furnishings from brands known and celebrated the world over, including Axor, Hansgrohe, Baxter and Poggenpohl just to name a few. Among the leaders of this reputable homegrown institution is Marleen Go-Uyecio, its dynamic creative director and head interior designer.
“In the ever-evolving landscape of design and marketing, I consider myself fortunate to be at the forefront,” Go-Uyecio remarks, offering a glimpse into her “most gratifying” days working alongside the company’s advertising, strategy and concept creation teams. Moreover, the opportunities to participate in fairs all over the globe as well as engage personally with brand owners and renowned design leaders— people like Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Patricia Urquiola, Piero Lissoni and most recently, Jay Osgerby—have greatly enriched her role at the helm. Such experiences have helped anchor her leadership on collaboration and open dialogues, fostering personal and professional growth within the entire Kuysen team.
Recognising the challenge to effectively communicate brands’ rich histories and identities in their arsenal, Go-Uyecio says Kuysen strives for continuous improvement, prioritising training for team members and maintaining steadfast journeys with their partners. She also notes the strong contingent of women leaders within the company, with 60 per cent of its managers being women. “I believe the key to success lies in mutual support, maintaining open communication and fostering cooperation across different departments,” Go-Uyecio shares. “Empowering women with decision-making authority enables them to drive improvements within their teams and contribute to the organisation’s
I believe the key to success lies in mutual support, maintaining open communication and fostering cooperation across different departments”
overall success. I strongly believe that gender diversity enriches teams by bringing various perspectives, experiences and viewpoints.”
While there’s still work to be done on a larger scale, Kuysen is making massive strides in the right direction. Looking back at her journey to this point, Go-Uyecio offers her fellow creatives a piece of advice she wishes she had learnt long ago: expressing is part of the process. She muses, “I’ve often found myself quiet and reserved, prone to overthinking every decision. However, I’ve since come to realise that ideas flourish when they’re voiced or written. Brainstorming, in particular, has proven to be a powerful process for generating better ideas. It’s through the act of sharing ideas that creativity truly thrives.”