Strong, resilient, driven, passionate and consistent are just some of the words that can aptly describe Ada Hu, who has defied all odds and is now sitting at the helm of affairs of one of the world’s fast-rising media startups. Ada Hu is the Founder and new age disruptor of NU Media. But it wasn’t always this way, Ada’s journey to success is one of many little steps, anchored on the principles of hardwork and determination.
As a young female student at the all-girl Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Ada learnt early enough the importance of expression and confidence. While the society around her was built on chauvinistic tendencies, she was learning to identify her own voice, hone it and use it for good. Today, she shines in her career as a marketing and advertising executive; helping large and small businesses grow and achieve their full potential.
The creation of NU Media in 2019 was a joint effort between her and her partner, Eva Jiang. As she said during our chat, “it was a merger between Universal Processing and NXT Factor. Its purpose is to help businesses of all sizes get their messages across and broadcast them through digital media services”. That has been a long-term passion for her, and using the new platform, she is putting her expertise to use and transforming businesses through online marketing, reputation management and brand management.
The most fascinating part of her story is how she started from nowhere, without any knowledge and nothing but a zeal to excel. Her penchant for learning kicked in and she has been able to learn the ropes, gaining a mastery of the trade and creating a niche in the industry. “I am a true believer of the phrase, ‘nothing is impossible’ and my story is a great example. By submitting myself to learning the skills and understanding the industry, I was able to identify a gap in the market that needed to be filled- the small business market. That is one area we’re servicing fully as a team,” she notes.
Her growing success in a male-dominated corporate world is super inspiring. She gives credit to her mother who showed her how to be strong and ambitious. Ada has always sought to be in the midst of such women who inspire her, light up her candle and enrich her enough to also be an inspiration to other women. She believes that young girls need to be emboldened and mentored to build confidence, be expressive, discover their passions and build successful businesses and brands.
“Oftentimes, when I walk into a business meeting, they see my appearance and immediately look behind me, expecting someone else. The most important thing for me to do is to go in in show them that I deserve to be there, and that I succeed at anything I put my mind to,” she says. As one who has been able to achieve this feat despite societal barriers, her vision is to also help women of colour across the world find their voice and live passionately and unapologetically.
