Cally Chan reflects on her rise through the male-dominated tech world and how she’s empowering others as GM of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau
Welcome to Upfront With, where we get real with groundbreaking women about their career paths and what it takes to do what they do
Hong Kong born and bred, Cally Chan comes from a traditional family with three brothers. “At that time, most people think that boys are more important,” says Chan. But she excelled academically and her mother saw her potential. “Even though we were not well off, my mum supported me.”
Math was Chan’s strong suit and she was intrigued by computer science. It was such a new area that there were no guarantees of a good job. Although Chan was deviating from the classic career goals—doctor, lawyer, accountant—her mother was again supportive. “I am so grateful to my mum,” says Chan, “she said, ‘okay, pursue what you are strong at.’”
That philosophy paid off for Chan who secured a job as an engineer at a multinational IT company after graduating from Hong Kong University. Initially, she just wanted to leverage her strengths and try new things, but over time she grew ambitious to become a leader who could influence the future through technology.
Now, as the general manager of Microsoft for Hong Kong and Macau, Chan is working to drive digital transformation and empower others. She shares her story below.
An early lesson in self-reliance and equality
After one year on the job, I needed to deliver a technical training class for my customer. Back then the computer is so big, we call it a workstation. It’s like an old-style television, extremely heavy. I needed to set up the classroom by myself and I’m not too big, so I was thinking, my male colleagues will help me. But in the end, no one did, and I still had to move that very heavy computer.
Looking back, I appreciate it because it means that when I started my career, there was no discrimination. if everything is equal, then it is equal opportunity; we shouldn’t expect special advantages or support.
On proving my value in the male IT circle
In 2008, I saw a chance to accelerate my career by becoming a managing director at Hewlett Packard. I knew it wouldn’t be easy because the majority of those leaders were men. While my boss wanted to give me a chance, he cautioned that if I couldn’t hold my own in this male inner circle, he wouldn’t be able to appoint me. So first he gave me a challenge: he nominated me as a council member of the Hong Kong Computer Society.
I thought: how can I contribute and make this group realise my value? I started organising activities and sharing my opinions—a perspective they never would think of. In the end, they accepted me and my learning was that you need to move out of your comfort zone and focus on your value. You can still be yourself; don’t think you need to change yourself to become a man.
I became MD in 2010 and about five years later I set up FACE Club (“Female Attract Connect and Engage”) within the Computer Society; it’s the first-ever female focused club in the IT community.
