| Chan to Lead Learning and Development in Asia |
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| Patrick Chan |
| A favorite saying of Patrick's: "Minds are like parachutes—they only work when they are open." |
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Patrick Chan has been appointed to the new position of learning and development director in Asia Pacific. Patrick's role will be shared across several other IPG brands in the region. He will be based in his native city of Hong Kong.
Patrick has 17 years of learning and development experience across a variety of industries. He has developed and delivered training programs in the areas of leadership, coaching, communications, negotiations, team building and presentation skills. He previously held training positions with Sun Microsystems, Reuters China, Sino Land Company and Lucent Technologies.
Patrick has worked throughout Asia Pacific (including several years in Beijing) and is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
| What it Takes to Build Your Own Brand in China |
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| L-R: Nikki Lin and Diane Wu, the driving force behind GolinHarris in Shanghai and Beijing respectively. |
The PR business is often about building client brands which is why it’s interesting to see how a PR agency like GolinHarris has built its own brand within a fast-paced market like China. In light of the recent appointment of Nikki Lin to lead the GolinHarris office in Beijing, Breakthrough catches up with the GH leadership team in China to see just how they’re doing it.
Before 2004, the GH brand did not exist in China. During that year, Diane Wu, previously managing director of GH in Taipei, transferred to Shanghai to lead the GH office there and to oversee GH in Guangzhou. The southern China offering quickly progressed, and in just over two years, Diane and her team significantly expanded the business.
However, as China continued to attract more and more multinational companies—both client-wise but also in the form of PR agency competitors—it was becoming more apparent that GH needed a physical presence in northern China. Also, as Beijing is traditionally the largest PR market in China with many of the national media based there, it reinforced the importance of having a strong GH capability in the capital city.
Nikki’s appointment is part of a progressive, ongoing build-up of GH resources, not just in Beijing but across China. Lydia Lee and Emily Situ, associate director and senior associate in Shanghai and Guangzhou respectively, are also instrumental in building GH across Greater China in their roles. As Diane discussed, the timing of Nikki’s appointment is no coincidence. "We have big plans this year, which will ultimately prepare us for 2007—lucky ‘7’ is how we’re looking at it. We now have seven leaders in place, including Lydia and Emily, and Nikki’s appointment is all part of the overall picture. It’s very exciting.”
Andrew Pirie, regional managing director for GH in Asia says China is now the key growth market for public relations in the region, and should grow to be on par with other markets within a short time. "Historically, we have had strong operations in the two key hub markets of Hong Kong and Singapore, and China is a vitally important part of the regional jigsaw.”
Nikki’s previous role as general manager, Taipei, of sister IPG agency Weber Shandwick has equipped her with a diverse range of strategic and leadership experience. Already, the office has won a number of clients since Nikki’s appointment, including ZESPRI, Lehmann Brothers and Merck.
As well as her management experience, Nikki has a unique background that she can draw upon. When she left high school, her chosen career was actually nursing, where she gained her Bachelors degree in New York. When asked about whether she liked administering medication, Nikki candidly responded, "Oh yeah, I loved giving shots. I saw it as my licence to cure.”
Nikki is excited about what lies ahead. "There are just so many opportunities waiting for us. The fact that GH has such a range of established and proven tools that we can share with clients and potential clients is really terrific. In China, some of the concepts like internal communications or building trust with key audiences are foreign to many companies. China needs that kind of communications offering, and we can provide solutions through practices such as Insidedge and concepts like the GH Trust Bank.”
Diane also commented on the range of GH tools available and the need to stand apart from the competition. "I’m really keen to put them (the GH tools) all out on the table and then work out which ones we can best adapt to the China market. Strong competition between PR agencies—from global agencies, to China-owned to non-China owned (including European and Japanese agencies)—means it’s incredibly important to be unique and deliver innovative ideas and solutions that cater specifically to our client’s needs. That’s the way to win.”
Over the next 12 to 18 months, the aim is to develop GolinHarris to become one of the most respected agencies in China. Across the region, there’s no doubt that the brand will strengthen considerably with such a motivated and ambitious team
leading it.
And to think two years ago, GolinHarris was literally unknown in China.
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