Name: Karen Lau Ka Yan
Age: thirtysomething
Job title Director of marketing and sales, global cards division, Hong
Kong, ANZ Bank
What is your greatest work achievement ?
Getting into the marketing field early on and getting opportunities to
take on responsiblities.
Marketing is an area that I'm really interested in.
What would be your dream brand to work on and why?
There're so many good, big brands that I'm always hoping to work
for.
The list would include Nike, Coca-Cola or any organisation which has a
strong belief in branding.
What would you do if you weren't in marketing?
I don't know what I'd be doing, but it would be something I'm really
interested in and enjoy.
Perhaps something related to golf?
What was your big break?
I guess that would be the year I spent in Thailand, while I was still
with Cathay Pacific Airways, in its management trainee programme.
Who was your mentor and how did this person influence you?
I'm lucky to have met many successful people and some of them include my
former bosses, who have given me very good guidance on my career, as
well as giving me inspiration over the years that I've known them.
Po Chung, chairman of DHL, is one of my mentors. He taught me a lot
about the key elements behind a successful businessperson.
Another mentor is Raymond Chan, who now works for United Airlines. He is
also a former boss and advised me on my career development.
Is there a secret to your success?
Not really. I think positive thinking, open-mindedness and versatility
with strong determination are key to overcoming difficulties and
achieving what you want.
How do you handle difficult clients?
I put myself in their shoes. If they are treated differently, there are
likely to be different results.
What advice would you give to the next person in your current job?
EQ management as the market is so competitive and volatile that one
definitely needs to be positive all the time and stay cool with all that
is unknown around you.
What are you currently reading that will help you in your job?
I just read a book called Do Something Different, which gives really
good insights on a lot of small but effective marketing ideas.
