Serial Entrepreneur | Brand Strategist | Small Business Owner | Philanthropist
When she was four years old, Soon’s family fled Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. After a perilous 12-day journey by boat and six months in a refugee camp, they ultimately resettled in Fresno, California, sponsored by an uncle who had fought for the South Vietnamese. That experience continues to shape Soon’s purpose, leadership, and commitment to giving back.
Soon has co-owned multiple PR and marketing firms, including Luxe Communications, which she founded, and Centigrade, a global marketing, communications, and events agency with offices across North America and Europe. Her career spans global brand strategy for some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Lamborghini, Hagerty, Ducati Motorcycles, eBay Motors, Black River Caviar, Xellent Vodka, and Breitling Watches.
A firm believer in “doing well by doing good,” Soon founded The Good Bowl, a mission-driven Vietnamese restaurant launched in Traverse City, Michigan in 2018. The restaurant donates $1 from every bowl sold to charity, allowing guests to choose from rotating local, national, and global nonprofit partners. Soon sold the restaurant to her business partner in January 2026.
She also created Help in Heels, a women-focused volunteer group, and Running in Heels, a community for women entrepreneurs. Soon serves as an Executive Board Member of How Women Lead, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing women into positions of power and influence and a member of CHIEF, a private, invitation-based membership organization designed to support senior women leaders through curated peer networks, executive education, and leadership development to help them advance and thrive at the highest levels of business.
For nearly 20 years, Soon helped shape the brand strategy at Hagerty, supporting the company’s purpose to save driving and fuel car culture for future generations. In 2022, she was named one of the U.S.’s Top Women in Communications by Ragan Communications for her role in transforming the Hagerty brand.
As Senior Vice President of Brand, Soon oversaw brand, creative strategy, events, communications, and corporate social responsibility, and helped launch the Hagerty Drivers Foundation to support philanthropic efforts within the automotive community. She played a key role in the company’s evolution from a small specialty insurance business to a global, publicly traded lifestyle brand, which joined the New York Stock Exchange (HGTY) in 2021 with a valuation exceeding $3 billion.
In 2023, Soon transitioned from her executive role into a consulting capacity to focus on supporting female founders and leaders through Boundless Futures Foundation, which she co-founded with her husband, McKeel Hagerty. The foundation provides financial support, leadership resources, and community to women building businesses designed for both growth and good.
Suggested article links
https://www.dbusiness.com/from-the-magazine/pda-qa-soon-hagerty/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/business/detroit-concours-delegance-hagerty.html
https://www.northernexpress.com/news/food/the-good-bowl
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/business/classic-cars-hagerty.html
https://boldjourney.com/meet-soon-hagerty-2
