CAREERS: Q&A with Felix To Chi Hak

<p>Name Felix To Chi Hak </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Age 37 </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Job title Chief executive officer, MindWorks </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Advertising </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: What is your greatest work achievement? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: Frankly speaking, nothing really "great" yet. But the current venture </p><p>to make use of content creation power to provide added media value to </p><p>advertisers in Asia could become a very satisfying experience. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: What would be your dream brand to work on and why? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: Dream brand? The media industry is so versatile, chances are that the </p><p>most original brands are the ones created by one's own team. To answer </p><p>the question, therefore, MindWorks. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: What would you do if you weren't in marketing? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: I'm not sure. Production, probably, or maybe a school teacher. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: What was your big break? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: I would say that came in stages, but the starting point would be 1990 </p><p>when I joined the television industry, and found out that there was not </p><p>many fixed rules to rely on, and that one has to work out one's own </p><p>understanding. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: Who was your mentor and how did this person influence you? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: There have been many but I feel it would not be fair to them if I </p><p>quote them. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: Is there a secret to your success? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: The key is the people on the team. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: How do you handle difficult clients? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: It might sound absurd, but I am not good at "handling" clients. The </p><p>way I usually approach a business and the clients involved is to </p><p>understand their needs as thoroughly as possible and ask myself if I can </p><p>honestly deliver the result that would be mutually beneficial. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: What advice would you give to the next person to do your current </p><p>job? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: I would say being in syndication we are in a business that requires </p><p>an incessant quest for inspiring ideas. It would be very tiring if you </p><p>do not enjoy it. So enjoy as much of the work as you can. Discipline is </p><p>very, very important. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: What are you currently reading that will help you in your job? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: My current reading is ad hoc, impulsive and never with any direction. </p><p>I consistently read The Economist and The Asian Wall Street Journal for </p><p>regular updates on current events. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Q: Who is the business person you most admire and why? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A: I have not positioned myself as a corporate businessman, so I don't </p><p>have a clear idea which business person I admire most. I do admire Deng </p><p>Xiaoping for the breadth of his life and his sense of direction. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>