CAREERS: Q&A with ... Karen Lau Ka Yan, ANZ Bank

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