Name: Angeline Chow
Job title: Regional sales and marketing director, Hachette Filipacchi
Asia-Pacific
What is your greatest achievement?
The founding, building and sale of cwow.com. Raising two rounds of
capital, navigating the internet market downturn and transforming
cwow.com into a cross-media marketing company, having compressed five
years of running a business into two.
What would be your dream brand to work on and why?
Yahoo! I am a tremendous internet enthusiast. There is probably no brand
as ubiquitous and more far reaching.
What would you do if you weren't in marketing?
I really enjoy the opportunity to build and create. That is what excites
me most about business. Having been a CEO of a company and having held
every responsibility ranging from business development to strategy to
human resources, I would say business building is what I enjoy the
most.
What was your big break?
Securing funding for our cwow.com business plan. This gave me the
confidence that I had earned the trust of the business community and
they were willing to support my vision, capability and judgement.
Who was your mentor and how did this person influence you?
My father, who spent more than 30 years with the Swire Group and built
multiple businesses for it. He achieved the highest leaderships roles in
the business world through integrity, loyalty and commitment. He led by
example and earned respect from partners, employees and customers.
Is there a secret to your success?
Passion. I love what I do and pursue my career with intensity and
desire.
How do you handle difficult clients?
Preparation, follow-through and attention to detail. Three simple
concepts but almost impossible to execute perfectly. You can spend days
and weeks pitching and selling clients. You can wine and dine them. What
really keeps them coming back is great execution. Do it right for them
the first time and you will find that difficult clients can also be easy
to handle.
What advice would you give to the next person to do your current
job?
Always invest time in business relationships. Ultimately in business,
trust and confidence are still critical. Nothing replaces the personal
touch or a face-to-face meeting.
What are you currently reading that will help you in your job?
Books by the Dalai Lama including The Art of Happiness.
