Tracy-Ann Lim on Leadership, Trust, and Building Media That Matters
“As part of a daily practice, I think about earning trust and earning reliability in the eyes of those that I work with—and work for. It’s about what I advocate for and the behaviors that I model.”
On the Womenheard: Changemakers podcast, host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Tracy-Ann Lim, a NYWICI Trailblazer Honoree in the 2024 inaugural class and a powerful storytelling strategist. As the Chief Media Officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co., she manages a fast-paced global team of 100+ people. Prior to this role, Lim filled executive roles at media agencies in New York, Los Angeles, and Dublin, where she’s from. Listen to this episode for why simplicity can be a strategic advantage, along with how to build trust with your team and trust in your brand.
From Agency to Client-Side—and the Myth of the “Trade-Off”
When she first made the leap from agency life to the client side six years ago, Lim expected to lose the fast-paced energy and broad influence she had grown used to. Instead, she found herself thrust into an environment that demanded even more agility and breadth of thinking. “There was no trade-off in terms of customer obsession,” she says. “We want to be the bank for all, and that’s something you feel every single day.”
A pivotal moment early in her transition to JPMorgan Chase came from an unexpected source: a CFO. “Media can mistakenly be interpreted as an expense or a cost center,” he told her. “You’d be well advised to consider how to turn it into a profit center.”
That advice shifted everything. From that point forward, Lim began thinking of herself not just as a media leader, but as the CEO of a business unit, with full accountability for outcomes.
Communicating in Real Time
One of the core challenges of leading a big team is communicating effectively and consistently, without overwhelming people or slowing things down. Lim’s approach? Let go of perfection. “I like to think of it as radical transparency through the eyes of a recovering perfectionist,” she says, “choosing speed over total accuracy.”
Gone are the days of perfectly polished decks and self-sufficient Word docs. Instead, she’s adopted a “breaking news bulletin” format to share imperfect, real-time updates that keep stakeholders in the loop and feeling connected. It’s not fancy, but it’s honest, frequent, and digestible.
Perfectionism, Imposter Syndrome, and the Need to Evolve
Lim candidly shares her experience with perfectionism and how it’s deeply tied to impostor syndrome. Referencing a framework that identifies five subtypes, she reflects on her own growth: “Eventually, as you grow in your leadership, you have to make some choices,” she says. “It’s the age-old ‘What got me here won’t get me there.’”
For Lim, the catalyst for evolving her mindset and style has always been her sense of responsibility to others, to the people she leads and the culture she helps shape. “I’m compelled to make those decisions or those changes based on the weight of responsibility of managing others and being in charge of their motivation,” she says. “Being in charge of their joy on the job, their ability to succeed. When you frame it that way, sometimes that change is much easier to adopt.”
The Power of Showing Up Authentically
Lim learned early that trust must be earned. Today, she brings that value into the workplace as a daily practice. She advocates for simplicity, deep work over busy work, and making decisions that age well. And she lives by example. You won’t hear her say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” For Tracy-Ann, modeling the behaviors she expects of others is non-negotiable.
Joyful Chaos
Outside of work, Lim is a wife, a mom to two energetic boys, and was recently named one of She Runs It’s 2025 Working Mothers of the Year. So how does she stay grounded?
“Give yourself grace,” she says. “I don’t live an Instagram life. It’s messy, and I don’t pretend.”
She talks openly about needing her commute to decompress between work and home roles, and how the pandemic taught her just how important those transitions really are. She’s also a fierce advocate for finding your tribe, people who refuel you and remind you you’re not alone. One of the most profound lessons she shares came from another working mom: “There are days when you’ll feel like a fabulous mom and not a great employee, and vice versa. It’s okay not to be both on the same day.”
Looking Ahead: AI, Anthropology, and What’s Next in Media
With one eye on the future and the other on her team’s well-being, Lim is preparing for the next evolution of media, especially as AI transforms the landscape. But she’s not chasing hype. “You’re only as good as your setup to act on that intelligence,” she says. “There’s no use being smarter if you can’t act on it in a meaningful way that excites your workforce.”
Thank you to Tracy-Ann Lim for joining us! For the full interview, listen to NYWICI’s WomenHeard podcast.
