Living Marketing David Ko

As the corporate world grapples with creating environments that truly embrace every individual, Kate's voice has emerged as a beacon of progress and hope. She joins us to share her impressive pivot from risk and compliance to spearheading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness initiatives at Ernst & Young for the Asia Pacific Financial Services sector. Her personal story, one marked by overcoming a health challenge, has fueled her to advocate passionately for workplace wellbeing, setting the stage for a transformative dialogue on what it means to cultivate a culture that values each team member's unique contributions.

Throughout the episode, our in-depth conversation traverses the intricate terrain of Diversity and Inclusion in Asian corporate landscapes. From the groundbreaking Pride Lions of HSBC to the evolving focus from equality to equity, Kate generously offers her insights into the balance of respecting diverse cultural contexts while promoting essential rights. We also unpack the often-hidden costs of presenteeism, exploring its tangible impact on mental health and, by extension, organizational productivity. Listeners stand to gain a richer understanding of how inclusive practices not only enrich corporate culture but also bolster the bottom line.

As we round off the discussion, Kate's reflections on her career progression and the transformative power of mentorship offer a heartfelt glimpse into the personal side of corporate leadership. Addressing gender equity and even the taboo topic of menopause in the workplace, we touch on the critical role companies play in nurturing not just careers, but the whole person. Kate's story is a testament to the fact that when an organization commits to Diversity and Inclusion, it's not just the workforce that flourishes—business thrives, and so does the human spirit within it.

Welcome to a new season of Living Marketing, the podcast where we chat with business leaders about their life lessons and experience! Today, we're joined by Janet Yuen, CEO of Hung's Food Group (HFG), who has masterfully blended tenacity and innovation to steer one of Hong Kong's top F&B companies through times of challenge. 

HFG has built an extensive food and beverage empire, directly operating more than 600 outlets across China and Hong Kong under its Yoshinoya, Dairy Queen, Maria’s Bakery and Uncle Fong’s brands.  
Navigating through social unrest and global health crises, Janet has propelled Hung's Food Group to flourish, maintaining the company's vitality and ensuring growth. She's here to reveal her strategies for adaptability, maintaining open communication, and an unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Under her leadership, HFG has embraced uncertainty as a catalyst for innovation and strength.
Janet's ascension in the F&B world wasn't preordained. Her transition into the industry was a journey of hurdles and discoveries, and she's ready to share how her prior experiences have seasoned her approach to success in this dynamic sector. Janet's story is a testament to the potency of transferable leadership skills, demonstrating how they can be adapted to the unique tastes of food and beverage.
Beyond her corporate achievements, we'll also uncover Janet's secret passion—a personal pursuit that infuses her life with additional flavor and fervor. Prepare to have your appetite for wisdom and inspiration satiated in this episode that promises to be as enriching as it is enlightening.

This episode is in Cantonese.

As global marketing director for Plaza Premium, among the world's largest operators of luxury airport lounges globally, Janis is no stranger to the trials and triumphs of a second year being battered by a history-making pandemic. In spite of all that I'm most impressed by her ability to maintain a work/life model that balances health and happiness with the demands of work, home and family. How does she stay centered? What are her regrets? What does the future hold? All this and more, in my chat with my longtime friend Janis Tse. 

Before she joined Archetype as deputy managing director, Liz was editorial director for LUXE City Guides for five years. I'm a huge fan of LUXE, one of what their founder Grant called "Luxe Lovelies", so it was a fascinating conversation about where LUXE is today, and how shifting patterns of travel information consumption has impacted their ability to grow over the past decade. As usual, Living Marketing is more about "living" than "marketing", so it was a pleasure to hear Liz recount her life of adventure that took her from London to Bangkok, then Singapore and at last Hong Kong. We talked about how they leapt into the City of Angels naively underprepared, how homesickness can be a physical sensation, and how maturity can make us all better romantic partners. 

As head of Corporate Communications for AQUMON, an Asia-based investment platform and roboadvisor, Caroline enjoys an exciting role at the intersection of fintech and consumer marketing. Her path to FSI is anything but typical though, only moving into the finance field after six years in the fashion industry dividing her time between Hong Kong, Milan and Beijing. In fact, Caroline's personal journey is a case study in experimentation. Her first major was Egyptian Archeology, then Law, before finally landing on Marketing. How did she end up with those choices? What was it about her upbringing that allowed her to experiment and make unconventional choices? What was it like dating Italian men? We talk about all this and more...
 

As Director of Membership for Hong Kong's hottest new private members club, Carlyle & Co, Kimberly has waited a long time for the club to open its doors because of the pandemic. Personally, she's also navigated a journey without a script to follow, as a biracial American kid growing up in Hong Kong who had to learn Chinese at the age of nine. Walking out of the family business into the publishing business, she spent seven years at lifestyle magazine HK Tatler, before she moved on to become AXA's Asia head of Brand and Corporate Communications. We talked about why she left the publishing business, what it means to transition into the hospitality industry working for the Rosewood group, as well as her experience growing up in Hong Kong as a child between two cultures.