Tatler Malaysia – August 2026

Summary

Anna Jobling, photographed against a backdrop of her own mixed-media artworks at her studio in Damansara, fronts Tatler Malaysia August 2026 with a 12-page career-transformation story timed to her shift from advertising CEO to full-time artist. The 176-page issue also covers the No Na girl group's rise, a war memoir by Sally Thompson, and a 6-page Penang heritage-food trail.

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Jobling's cover story ("Into Her Own," p.144) tracks her 25-year advertising career culminating as CEO of M&C Saatchi Malaysia, her 2023 burnout, and her transition to visual art with a debut solo show that sold RM 350,000 in 2024. The No Na feature ("The No Na Zeitgeist," p.166) profiles the 5-member Malaysian girl group that signed with Warner Music Asia in 2025 and has 1.2 million TikTok followers. Sally Thompson's memoir ("Never a Medal," p.32) recounts her father's experience as a WWII prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway; she spent 6 years interviewing 40 surviving families. The Travel section (p.118-140) runs 22 pages covering a Lang Tengah Island dive guide, a Melaka heritage walk and a Greek Peloponnese escape.

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Regular departments include Editor's Note (p.22), Online Highlights (p.18), Editors' Picks (p.24), and One Last Look (p.176). The Scene (p.30-54) covers 6 events. Style runs 44 pages anchored by a 10-page Theatre of the Tuileries fashion shoot (p.68), Wearing Home (p.70), a Watches section featuring 100 Years Strong (p.98), and the Beauty of Decay interview with Greg Lauren (p.72).

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.144 · Into Her Own
Anna Jobling, 48, left her CEO role at M&C Saatchi Malaysia in 2023 after 5 years leading the agency. Her debut solo exhibition, "Unlearning," sold 28 of 32 works in the opening week—total value RM 350,000. Her studio practice: 6-hour painting sessions starting at 6am, 5 days a week. Emerging artists: budget RM 5,000 for a studio rental in KL's Zhongshan Building, which houses 20 other artists.

p.150 · A Walk in the Park
A 6-page artist's-studio tour: Jobling's 1,200-sqft space in Damansara Heights, repurposed from a disused godown. Monthly rent RM 3,500. The space includes a 30-sqm exhibition area open to other artists by application.

▸ Features

p.154 · Made to Matter
The social enterprise KakiDIY, based in Penang, teaches carpentry and welding to 120 at-risk youths per year. Founder Jason Ong started the programme with RM 10,000 in 2018. Annual budget has grown to RM 480,000. Graduates earn an average of RM 2,800 per month in skilled trade jobs.

p.162 · A Force For Nature
The Nature Conservancy's Malaysia chapter has reforested 500 hectares of the Central Forest Spine in Pahang since 2020. Country director Dr. Cecilia Tan reports a 35 percent increase in wildlife sightings—including Malayan tigers and Asian elephants. Volunteers can join planting weekends (RM 200 per person, includes meals and seedlings).

p.166 · The No Na Zeitgeist
No Na—members aged 19-23, 1.2 million TikTok followers, signed to Warner Music Asia—released their debut single "Tak Apa" in 2025, hitting 3 million Spotify streams in 4 weeks. Their choreography training: 8 hours daily, 6 days a week, in a studio in Cheras. They aim for a Korean debut in 2027.

▸ Style

p.68 · The Theatre of the Tuileries
A 10-page fashion shoot at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC), featuring 12 looks from Malaysian designers Kenneth Tham, Khoon Hooi and Ryn. The shoot's lighting mimics stage spotlights—each look is shot under a single 1,000-lumen source.

p.98 · 100 Years Strong
The 100th anniversary of the TAG Heuer Carrera: the new Chronograph x Porsche uses a glassbox sapphire crystal and the in-house Heuer 02 movement, with 80-hour power reserve. Price: RM 32,000. Limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide.

▸ The Scene

p.32 · Never a Medal
Sally Thompson spent 6 years interviewing 40 families of WWII POWs who built the Thai-Burma Railway. Her book Never a Medal was published by Penguin Random House SEA in March 2026. Royalties go to the Malaysian War Veterans Fund. A companion podcast with 12 episodes is available on Spotify.

p.46 · Local Treasures
A Melaka food trail: 5 heritage eateries—Nancy's Kitchen (Nyonya laksa, RM 12), Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball (RM 8 for 5 balls), Baba Low's (cendol, RM 5), Geographer Cafe (sambal udang, RM 22), and My Own Cafe (duck rendang, RM 18). All within a 2km walk from Jonker Walk.

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Editor's Take

Jobling's CEO-to-artist pivot is a genuinely unusual career story—most cover subjects are born-into-it wealthy or built one company; she did both advertising and fine art at a professional level. The "Never a Medal" war memoir (p.32) is the emotional centre of the issue, based on 6 years and 40 family interviews. No Na's girl group profile (p.166) is smartly timed to the K-pop-adjacent wave in Malaysia. But the 44-page Style section repeats the Malaysia edition's chronic problem: too many pages, too many brand spreads. The "Theatre of the Tuileries" shoot at KLPAC is visually strong but the lighting rig is a gimmick that doesn't add to the clothing. The KakiDIY feature (p.154) is strong but buried at page 154—it deserves earlier placement.

Strengths
• Jobling's career transition with exhibition sales revenue and studio costs documented
• Sally Thompson war memoir built on 6 years of research and 40 family interviews
• No Na group metrics—TikTok followers, Spotify streams, training hours—all substantiated

Weaknesses
• 44-page Style section is disproportionately large for the magazine's format
• KLPAC fashion shoot uses a lighting gimmick that doesn't serve the product

Verdict: Recommended — Jobling's art-career numbers and the Thompson war memoir anchor a genuinely varied issue; skip the fashion section.