Among all the companies setting out their stalls at the Career Forum, three were offering a little something extra as participants in the latest iteration of the Classified Post Shadow a CEO Programme.
Senior executives from Hong Kong Airlines, NDN Group and SmartTone will all be taking part in the programme, which offers students and recent graduates the opportunity to get a taste of high-level business life and see things from the perspective of those at the top.
Stanley Yau, director of human resources and administration at Hong Kong Airlines, and Andy Ann, founder and CEO, NDN Group – two of the three executives taking part – were involved in the forum’s topical seminar schedule, with both giving presentations to attendees on trends in their industries and the sort of opportunities available for graduates.
In his presentation entitled “Fly beyond your dream”, Yau explained that as an international aviation hub, Hong Kong attracts many aviation elites and the job market is promising as the industry continues to grow. Hong Kong Airlines, he pointed out, was committed to contributing to the local aviation industry by nurturing local young talent.
“The aviation industry is so dynamic and sophisticated that it looks for talent from a wide range of professions,” he said. “At Hong Kong Airlines, apart from our Management Trainee Programme, we also offer an Engineering Licence Trainee Programme to groom all-rounders and recognised professional airline engineers.”
He added that the company looks for applicants who are curious, keen to learn and willing to take initiative so that they can deal with challenges. “They should also be innovative so that they can bring us fresh perspectives and insight.”
Hong Kong Airlines was established in 2006 and has grown rapidly to become an internationally acclaimed carrier. “We are a young, energetic and customer-centric company,” Yau said. “With a history of just 10 years, we own one of the youngest fleets in the world with an average of 4.1 years in service.”
He added that the company’s new Aviation Training Centre, scheduled for completion in 2018, will represent another step in enhancing the training standards of Hong Kong’s aviation industry.
Andy Ann, founder and CEO of digital conglomerate NDN Group, highlighted the importance of following one’s passion and developing sharp business sense in his seminar on “Entrepreneurship and the latest digital mega trends.”
He explained that today’s customer is no longer simply exposed to traditional media, but is connected to everything via multiple platforms at all times, and at their own discretion. “So, how do you reach your target audience when all your competitors are also trying to get their attention too?” he asked.
He explained that the answer is digital transformation and, looking ahead, organisations need to digitally transform their businesses in order to stay ahead of the competition and to carve out a permanent niche at the forefront of their industry.
“As a single concept, digital transformation represents the convergence of a business’s evolution and its meaningful connection to the customer, as brought about by the appropriate use of technology,” he explained. “We believe there are nine core components of digital transformation which can be addressed in various ways to realise a corporation’s goals and ensure profound engagement with customers and potential customers.”
He also outlined six digital mega trends that are shaking up the business environment: sharing economies, user experience, online to offline, big data, the internet of things, and content marketing.
The big data trend, he believes, allows companies to better understand their own behaviours, such as spending patterns and health data.
“Both large and small amounts of data allow us to compare and correlate to spot business trends, determine the quality of research, forecast transactions, analyse and plan, and make better decisions,” he said.
This article appeared in the Classified Post print edition as Imparting invaluable insight.
