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Tag: MD

  • Carousell names new Hong Kong MD

    Carousell names new Hong Kong MD

    Carousell Hong Kong has appointed Hong Kong digital industry veteran Kevin Huang (pictured) as managing director. Huang, who was last CEO of Birdie for about two years, will now oversee the development of overall business strategy, managing the daily operations, marketing, branding and community engagement for Carousell Hong Kong and will report to Bryan Teo, chief operations officer. He takes over the role from William Ip, who left the role in March this year after close to two years in the role.

    Huang’s appointment comes as Carousell Hong Kong steadily builds up its presence in the market with one in seven Hong Kongers now being a Carousell user, the company confirmed. With Huang leading the charge, the company looks to grow Hong Kong as a key market to inspire more selling and buying to nurture a vibrant community for all types of users.

    Currently the team is about 40 strong in Hong Kong, and 700 strong across the region. In Hong Kong, it is also looking to fill roles such as business development and category management, amongst others.

    “What attracted me to join Carousell is the mission of inspiring everyone in the world to start selling and buying to make more possible for one another. I am passionate about helping small businesses in Hong Kong, and Carousell is a platform where anyone can find selling success. Whether you are a casual user selling preloved items, a budding entrepreneur or even a merchant running a physical shop for decades, you can find your own community and niche on Carousel,” Huang said.

    One of its key focus for this year is on CarouBiz (Carousell for Business) and supporting SMEs. In an interview, Huang and the team at Carousell explained that merchants who took their businesses online last year, were the few who managed to weather the storm but many merchants who are unfamiliar with the digital business ecosystem are struggling. As such the brand launched a premium seller tool last year to help SMEs digitalise and grow their businesses. CarouBiz includes tools such as video listings to increase clicks, premium seller badges to increase credibility, and bump scheduler for regular product promotion. It also launched the CarouBiz Booster Fund to help SMEs and aspiring entrepreneurs to kickstart their online expansion.

    Recently the company also forged a strategic partnership with Livi Bank to enable merchants to apply for a 12-month installment payment plan for their CarouBiz subscription with no extra interest or handling fees being charged throughout the period.

    Moving forward, the team will look to expand on its Home Services categories. In 2020, the number of active users who used home services through Carousell has increased by two-fold year-on-year, said the firm. This grew organically in part due to the pandemic, as movement restrictions pushed Hong Kong-ers online to search for needed services. The most popular service categories include household services, electronics and accessories repairs, beauty services and tutoring services.

    Meanwhile, with the launch of Carousell Auto Group in April 2021, the group aims to bring its experience and expertise in operating Southeast Asia’s automotive business to Hong Kong, and further expand Carousell Autos’ business to become the number one autos classifieds player in Hong Kong in the next three years.

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  • Cafe de Coral Group appoints new managing director

    Cafe de Coral Group appoints new managing director

    Café de Coral has promoted Piony Leung to managing director (Hong Kong) with immediate effect.  In her new position, Leung reports to group CEO Peter Lo and manages business operations and provides strategic leadership across Café de Coral Group’s business in the city, including quick-service restaurants, casual dining, and institutional catering. She will also play a pivotal role in meeting the company’s growth goals in the Hong Kong F&B sector.

    Piony was previously managing director (quick-service restaurants) of Café de Coral Group, and boasts more than 25 years of experience in the retail and fast-moving consumer goods industries. Under her leadership in 2020, the group’s quick-service restaurants business took a number of actions to address weak market conditions, shifted marketing focus to promote take-away and delivery services, redesigned menus to meet changing demand, and introduced an e-commerce platform for selling popular seasonal products such as poon choi and party sets.

    “In the face of unprecedented challenges, I am deeply impressed by our frontline staff who have gone above and beyond to service our customers while doing their best to meet our business goals. Although the economic outlook remains uncertain, I am committed to working side by side with my team members to explore future business opportunities and retain the Group’s leadership position in this rapidly changing market,” she commented.

    Speaking of Leung’s appointment, Lo said her leadership skills had led the team through major market shocks and adapted to the challenging business landscape.

    “In the post-pandemic era, it is essential that the group is able to capture opportunities bought by the fast-changing market and consumer behaviours. I have every confidence that she will be able to maximize business synergies and build a stronger brand portfolio by integrating the quick service restaurants, casual dining and institutional catering business as a whole, offering a wide range of food options that cater to the diverse tastes of the greater community,” Lo explained.

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  • Foodpanda Hong Kong appoints new MD

    Foodpanda Hong Kong appoints new MD

    Tech industry veteran Ryan Lai has been named the new managing director for foodpanda Hong Kong.

    Lai will oversee all aspects of the delivery company’s business operations, while contributing to the growth and strategic development of the platform, including delivery and pickup, foodpanda mall, pandamart, catering, and other digital solutions to push the company forward and enhance the customer experience.

    Lai comes from eBay, where he served as head of Southeast Asia and head of category management of automotive in Greater China. He brings nearly 15 years of management experience under his belt with expertise in e-commerce.

    “I am very excited to be joining foodpanda (Hong Kong), especially during such an active and ever-changing period for online delivery platforms. It is humbling to be able to work alongside such a dynamic, strong-willed, and accomplished group of people. I am confident that we can build on the already solid foundation of success, and continue to provide the best experiences and solutions to our foodpanda community of stakeholders,” said Lai.

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  • Kerry Logistics Appoints Martin Stoekenbroek as MD for EMEA

    Kerry Logistics Appoints Martin Stoekenbroek as MD for EMEA

    Kerry Logistics Network Limited has appointed Martin Stoekenbroek as its new Managing Director – Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) with effect immediately.

    Based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Stoekenbroek will lead Kerry Logistics’ international freight forwarding business in the EMEA region and be in charge of its strategic development, focusing particularly on strengthening Kerry Logistics’ foothold and business portfolio.

    With over 30 years of extensive experience in the industry specializing in EMEA and global roles, Stoekenbroek brings a wealth of supply chain knowledge, insights, and expertise to Kerry Logistics.

    He was the Senior Vice President Global Air Freight of Geodis prior to this appointment and has previously worked for top industry players including Wilson Logistics and TNT Freight Management.

    Mathieu Biron, Managing Director – Global Freight Forwarding of Kerry Logistics, said: “We warmly welcome Martin to our team.

    “Having built his career in logistics within the EMEA region for decades, Martin possesses an in-depth knowledge of our business in the region and a thorough understanding of the changing conditions of our industry.

    “He will be a vital part of our ongoing global expansion, providing visionary guidance as we realize our long-term strategy.”

    Commenting on his new appointment, Stoekenbroek said: “Kerry Logistics has been going from strength to strength through its worldwide expansion.

    “I am honoured to have the opportunity to apply my knowledge and experience to lead a strong team and help to propel the Group’s further development in the EMEA region.

    “At a time when the global supply chain is in flux, I look forward to contributing to Kerry Logistics’ progress and overcoming challenges to reinforce its position as a leading logistics partner connecting EMEA to the rest of the world.”

  • Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong appoints new MD

    Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong appoints new MD

    The Shilla Duty Free has appointed a new MD of its Hong Kong operations. Changha Shin takes over the helm of Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong this week after the surprise departure of Alice Woo. Woo built the business up after becoming its first employee last year when the Korean-owned travel retail company secured major duty-free concessions at Hong Kong International Airport.

    Prior to working with Shilla, Woo spent 22 years in travel retail in Asia, Hawaii and North America, with companies including DFS Group and Nuance Watson.

    Her replacement Shin was previously the merchandising director of Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong. In a short statement, Shilla said Shin has a wealth of knowledge across various product categories with 14 years of experience. He started in HR with Shilla Group and has “deep knowledge” of Shilla Group and its partners.

    “The Shilla Duty Free is proud to promote from within and support the development of its staff.”

    Woo will leave her position this week with the change referred to being due to “internal circumstances”. It is unclear if she will remain with the company in another role.

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  • Bank Rakyat appoints new MD and president

    Bank Rakyat appoints new MD and president

    Former Affin Bank group CEO and managing director Datuk Zulkiflee Abbas Abdul Hamid has been appointed Bank Rakyat’s managing director and president effective since yesterday.

    Zulkiflee, who has also served on the board of directors of Maybank Islamic, held the role of group CEO and managing director of Affin Bank from 2009 to 2015.

    On his plans for Bank Rakyat, Zulklifee said:“Give me a chance to explore what is available in Bank Rakyat. I might be able to provide a more comprehensive action plan after that as I have just begun my role as managing director and president of Bank Rakyat

    “I have large shoes to fill, but it is not an impossible task. With the team that I have, I should be able to come up with something soon,” he said.

    Zulkiflee has served on a number of industry committees, including as council member of the Association of Banks Malaysia as well as chairman of the audit committee of Malaysian Electronic Payment System or MEPS.

    He holds a Master in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, both from Southern Illinois University, in the United States.

    Zulkiflee has served as advisory council member of the Insaniah Global Centre for Islamic Banking and Finance, member of the board of trustees of Yayasan Budiman UiTM, as well as treasurer of Tabung Pendidikan 1 Bilion.

    Bank Rakyat chairman Tan Sri Shukry Mohd Salleh said that the bank is looking forward to capitalising on Zulkiflee’s vast experience in the field of credit management, enterprise banking and corporate banking to grow the bank as an Islamic cooperative bank.

    Meanwhile, Bank Rakyat chief retail banking officer Mohd Shahril Isa has clarified that Bank Rakyat’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) in February was only for the expansion of its remittance services.

    “The MoU is for cooperation works, not a merger.

    “We are not going to open a new business in Indonesia.

    “Instead, we are only expanding our remittance services to Indonesia by using BRI as our platform as BRI has a large network covering all the islands there,” said Shahril.

    Bank Rakyat’s remittance services in Indonesia will begin in the second or third quarter of the year.

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  • DHL Appoints New Hong Kong and Macau Managing Director

    DHL Appoints New Hong Kong and Macau Managing Director

    According to DHL, McQueen will be responsible for long-term growth across sectors such as aviation, consumer goods, healthcare, retail and technology. He will also be in charge of integrating solutions with freight and logistics services from South China’s major development zones.

    “Designing supply chain solutions that meet and exceed the unique needs of customers isn’t just my passion – it’s also essential for long-term growth that can withstand constant disruption and volatility in the marketplace,” said McQueen. “Having laid the foundations for such growth in the Greater China region, I’m excited to be focusing on Hong Kong as the linchpin in our regional operations, and look forward to leading our excellent team of more than 1,000 experienced supply chain employees to even greater heights.”

    McQueen has 24 years of supply chain experience. He was most recently in charge of business development at DHL Supply Chain Greater China, and was previously head of industrial development and solution design director for the Middle East and Africa.

    “We appointed Jez to lead our Hong Kong and Macau operations because of his outstanding track record in delivering rapid and sustainable growth across a wide variety of industries,” said Yin Zou, CEO of DHL Supply Chain Greater China. “Jez has proven invaluable as the head of business development for our operations in Greater China, combining deep expertise in all sectors with formidable acumen for turning supply chain innovations into substantial long-term improvements in customer satisfaction and revenues alike. Hong Kong remains a pivotal market for DHL Supply Chain, and I believe Jez’s skill set and passion for business development make him uniquely suited to handling its broad and dynamic range of multi-industry needs.”

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