How important is it that you get to know me? Well, on the face of it, maybe not very but I believe that getting to know the people you work with helps to build trust and lasting relationships.
As the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated and we welcome the year of the Ox, I thought that it would be a very fitting time to share a little bit of my heritage with you.
I was born in Hong Kong in 1984, the year of the rat and my first home was an orphanage – Po Leung Kuk. Thankfully, I am one of the lucky ones and will be eternally grateful to my adoptive parents who offered me my forever home.
We spent a number of years living in Hong Kong, with a brief two year stint in the Singapore (one of my favourite places) before I was enrolled at boarding school in Harrogate. A definite change of pace, I think the experience would have been overwhelming for any 12 year old. However, the bold decision from my parents to place me into the UK educational system, I believe has paid off.
Like my Chinese zodiac symbol suggests I like to think that I have grown to be well organised, optimistic and determined. I started working when I was 13 and continued from that point to take on whatever work I could. I’ve been a shop assistant, cleaner, room attendant, waitress, receptionist, bar tender and telesales person. All of these roles provided me with experience and invaluable life and business lessons, which have undoubtedly helped shape my career.
Without question, I owe a lot of my success to my dad who played a significant part in influencing my long term career path. As a financial man he has always been shrewd and incredibly precise. It is highly likely that a lot of my business acumen has been passed on from him. At the time, when he tutored me after school and at weekends, I thought he was too strict, too pushy and completely unreasonable, I now know that he just wanted me to realise my true potential and be better than just ok or good. He urged me to study business but because I needed something more creative, I was drawn to marketing and I’ve remained passionate and inspired by the field ever since.
People born in the year of the rat are said to be loyal and ambitious and whilst communication and public relations have always been my anchor points I have worked hard to ensure that my skills portfolio not only includes core marketing principles, digital and design but also extends to commercial and business strategy.
Work is my happy place and I am proud to fall into the ‘I live to work’ camp. But away from work I am equally proud to be a wife and mum. In many ways I am a traditional housewife, (aside from my burning desire to work), I like to keep a clean, tidy household and I love to cook. In fact, if marketing wasn’t my calling, I am pretty sure I would have ended up in a kitchen. I’m fanatical about food and am slowly passing on my obsession to my children who love to help me in the kitchen.
The key things to know about me; I do not like to fail, I am too honest. I always look for the good. I continuously strive to be better. And I never give up. I am a people person. I’d like to get to know you… and your business – get in touch, I’d love to hear from you!