Do you have any mentors? If so, who are they and what is the best piece of advice they have given you?

My parents set a strong foundation and their advice always centred around “Why not give it a try?” They would always encourage me to experiment and learn from mistakes. They ran a flower shop when I was small. Observing how they operated and built relationships with customers and the community helped to fuel my passion for business and building connections with people. Today, I have many mentors and I lean on them to provide guidance in different situations. I believe in reverse mentoring too: the idea that executives can learn from the next generation. Spending time with [younger people] and seeing how they interact with technology inspires me a lot. 

What qualities do you look for in a potential employee?

The first thing we look for is the “Googleyness”. It’s about curiosity, comfort with ambiguity, passion for the work, humility and collaboration. We also look for leadership and the ability to step in and lead, but just as critically, to step back and let someone else take the lead. Moreover, it’s general cognitive ability—not IQ, but learning ability—as well as role-related knowledge.

What has been your biggest career obstacle to date? How did you overcome it?

I wouldn’t say it's an obstacle, but [I am committed to] an ongoing effort to empower the team to do great things together. When I was young, I used to try doing everything by myself, but then I started to learn about the importance of delegating. Throughout my career I have come to realise that as a leader, my priority should be to inspire and empower individuals to thrive. We have such a strong team of talented and passionate Googlers, so why not empower them to dream up incredible solutions to some of the toughest problems? 

One of the examples was in 2016 when we convinced the global headquarters, together with my team, to launch Google Pay in Singapore. We always knew how important payments would become, and as the leader of the project, I reminded the team to think through priorities, seek alignment with all stakeholders, including partners and the Singapore government, so that we were able to stand in their shoes and tell that story effectively together. In the end, we were the first market in APAC to launch this service, which paved the way for successful launches across the region. 

Now, I’m still learning to do this better day by day, but investing in skills like coaching, listening and public speaking has allowed me to work with teams across different locations and cultures.

Do you have any business regrets? If so, what?

Not really; I believe that mistakes are part of learning. I reflect a lot, ask for feedback, and make adjustments and changes that allow for continuous improvement. 

How do you plan to develop the business over the next five years?

Google is a global firm, but we have an incredible team on the ground. Hong Kong people and businesses always demonstrate resilience, creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset, which are important traits at this unprecedented time. As I am the general manager at Google Hong Kong, the priority for me and my teams is to encourage and empower individuals and businesses to thrive in the digital economy. The future is yours to create, and I’m here to support it. I see opportunities for Hong Kong to flex its ambition to become a smarter digital city, and our business is helping the city unlock its digital potential.

What is one surprising thing about you that most people don’t know?

My colleagues may know that I’m a big Marvel fan but they might not know that my favourite character is Dr. Strange. I remember being fascinated with how fast he was able to learn, and time travel would be pretty cool, too. 

In an alternate universe, what would you be doing, career-wise?

I have always loved nature so running an outdoor adventure company is something I have dreamt of. Maybe one day I’ll ask myself “Why not give it a try?” and decide to start one.