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I strongly believe that when people measure the success of a person, it should not just be confined to tangible achievements such as sales and profits records. I don't believe that a person can do everything alone regardless of how talented he or she is. A leader, or a CEO, is just the fortunate few who have the privileged opportunity to work with people with different talents. They are really the ones who make things happen. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to be able to identify and work with various outstanding executives who share the |
| same values and vision as mine. Together, we went through good times and tough times and had fun working as a team. And, most important of all, I am really proud of their achievements! Those loving memories motivate me to move on because I know I am NOT ALONE in trying to achieve "mission impossible". When I shared the exciting news of starting this new company, their overwhelmingly positive responses really touched me beyond any words can describe. I still remember vividly Poly (Polythene) told me that once she talked to Yvonne (they both worked at Kalm's and Mattel with me) that they would do whatever necessary to support me. So when I told them I would initiate this personal empowerment program and needed some endorsements, both of them said they would be honored to do so. The same applies to other ex-colleagues of mine who have written these testimonials - all from their hearts. I simply could not thank them enough and here they are. I only hope I could really live up to their expectations.  Polythene Choy, Reebok International, Asia Pacific, Regional Marketing Director I first knew Annie in Kalm's back in '93 when I was the Marketing Executive marketing Forever Friends in Hong Kong. We had the chance to work together again in Mattel in 1999, when I became the Marketing Manager for the China market. Annie is a very dynamic person. On one hand, she is an action-oriented team leader who has a clear mindset to achieve goals. On the other hand, she is also a very personal and sensitive person. She is my mentor in my career and she opened my eyes as a marketer and as a person. Maggie Chung, Executive Assistant, Warner Brothers Consumer Products 喜歡跟Annie聊天，她會說說她的女兒，說說她公司最近發生的事情，也會 說說她的夢想；怎可能的?一位工作排得密密麻麻的行政人員，哪會有時間 發夢? 我認識Annie是在1999年初當她的行政秘書,那時候她是Mattel的總經理。第 一次見面當然是見工，她的手涼涼的，心想，她應該是一個Cool woman,只 專注工作。跟她較接近，才發現她很重視生活平衡，不只埋頭工作。她常常 說香港人大多不開心，由於過於著眼工作上，稍有不如意，便嚷著轉工。一 心以為，只要找到一份優差，一個好老闆，便一勞永逸。須知道香港實在是 一個瞬息萬變的地方，人來人去，好老闆可能不到數月便離職，好日子又沒 了。再者，何為"優差"?何為"好老闆"? 生活平衡是老生常談，但Annie真的努力地尋找方法讓自己平衡及快樂。她 的夢想便是先要自己快樂，然後把方法授予別人。她喜歡看書，亦跟隨師傅 學道；近兩年，她熱衷鑽研"九型人格" - 人與人之間的相處其實是Mix & Match；只要持著這樣見解，會更包容和體諒別人。 2001年Annie加入Warner Brothers時，我再次成為她的行政助理。自她離開 後，我便沒有跟Annie共事，亦沒有她這樣的夢想。但我平日仍會提點自己 要生活平衡，避免自己過度側重某方面，讓自己生活舒服一點。 Yvonne Ngau, Manager, Channel Marketing, Standard Chartered Bank I first met Annie when she hired me at Kalm's. I was then an executive of a new marketing department while she was the young and energetic General Manager. In our 10 years of acquaintance, Annie - as a boss, as someone I respect, and now as a mentor and a friend, had changed very little. Ever since I knew her, she has always been a very determined person. She not only has a lot of faith in herself, but also a lot of trust for others. Her mind never stops, and her creativity never ceases. She likes to see things from different angles, and with her distinct insights, she has been able to inspire many around her. Counting back, I have worked with Annie for 6 years in 2 companies. It was so much fun because her creativity had always driven me to find solutions to missions that seemed impossible. It was so rewarding because her persistence always proved that her beliefs to be very true. Without getting to know her at my young age, I would never be the "me" today. Karen Tam, Manager - Promotions and Advertising, Harbour City Estates Limited Annie was my Account Director at Ogilvy & Mather, one of Hong Kong's most renowned advertising agencies. I joined the agency at a very early stage in my career and was so fortunate to have worked with such a great boss. Besides being a very talented, smart and sophisticated lady, she taught me a lot and shared with me her invaluable knowledge and experience. She has been my mentor since then and remains a very dear friend. We' ve stayed in close contact over the years and have worked together on several projects. We launched a very successful Christmas promotion with Forever Friends when Annie was at Kalm's and celebrated Barbie's 40th Anniversary while she was with Mattel Toys. These events were impeccably executed, creating very high awareness and attracting many shoppers to our two malls, Times Square and Harbour City. Annie is a very passionate and hard working person who has never given up learning despite being so successful. She constantly strives for perfection and is always willing to take up new challenges. As her friend and student, I also have to improve myself regularly to keep up with her! Although Annie didn't make it with Happy Q several years ago, she didn't give up. Instead, she has committed her effort towards her new goal. I'm certain Annie will see her hard work come to fruition with CEO mindpower and I have every confidence she will enjoy continued success given her endless enthusiasm and dedication. Raymond Wong, Senior Electronic Publishing Manager, Longman Hong Kong Education When I re-joined Longman Education as a manager of the electronic publishing department, Annie was my direct supervisor. My first impression of her is a calm and respectable professional. I also found her to be quite direct, straightforward, smart, analytical, and a fast thinker with lots of creative ideas. At that time, my department had gone through numerous unsuccessful reforms. Everyone was overworked, under-appreciated, and our output was less than efficient. Annie helped me by exemplary influence through her own skills in people management. Despite her own tough position, one of the things that really impressed me was how she dealt with difficult situations and personnel issues with such ease, confidence, and most of all, a smiling face. I would like to thank her for leading my hand through the hardest time in my professional career. She has been a great mentor to me personally and everyone around her. Through her guidance and coaching, I was able to apply what she taught me to my own staff. The department has now come alive again, and we are now one of the strongest assets of the company. T.C. Wong, Publishing Director, Longman Hong Kong Education I knew Annie when she joined Longman Hong Kong Education as the Managing Director in 2002. I was one of her direct-reports. With her strong marketing and retail background, Annie gave the company, which was operating a relatively traditional business, a lot of new ideas and concepts. Her efforts bolstered the company to greater heights. Annie established the Education Services Department and led the company in a service-oriented direction. She clearly delivered what she believed: a publisher is not only about publishing books, but is also a good partner with teachers in the classroom. The Education Services team thus provides educational support to facilitate teachers in teaching. These services have been very successful and proven extremely useful to teachers. In her tenure as Managing Director, she organized a vision alignment workshop for the whole company.She requested that everyone in the company, whether a manager or an office assistant, to know the company's visions and ensured that their visions are in line. Annie always puts her focus on people. She respects and appreciates everyone around her. She is astute and discerning. Her keen ability to read minds and understand people by their behavior enabled her to "diagnose" people. She also knows to smoothly deal with people from all walks of life. Annie is very open-minded and cheerful. More importantly, she always thinks positively. I have never seen her worried or anxious. One of my customers asked me if Annie was born in the US. He even commented that Annie was very energetic, opened-minded and positive. Annie has tenured as CEO in various international companies since '90s. Her expertise in management is needless for me to repeat here. Annie's solid experience of management is already illustrated by her professional working attitude. In addition to Annie's positive personality and her experience in dealing with people, she is undoubtedly the best partner you could have in your becoming a CEO! |
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