WEN Chairwoman, Geetanjali Dhar was interviewed by Channel News Asia, on the momentous occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of HKSAR. In this interview she talks about the immense opportunities that Hong Kong continues to offer for businesses to thrive in.
Watch the video here. Geetanjali’s part can be viewed from 19:05 onwards in the video clip.
WEN would like to applaud Members who have had great wins, overcome obstacles, used innovative approaches or made other strides as an entrepreneur and who are ready to share their tips with you!
We are delighted to showcase Felda Yeung, Partner at Gall Solicitors.
Business Nature: Law Firm
Business Start Date: 2011
Best Achievement to Date: Co-heading the firm’s employment practice.
How is your company unique?
Gall is a boutique disputes resolution law firm that help clients navigate and resolve their legal disputes.
My motto is to help clients understand the legal issues and resolve the dispute in a manner that best suits their objectives. I will tailor the litigation strategy to each client’s individual needs, whether they are corporate clients or individuals, with the aim that they can reach an expeditious resolution (whether it be through litigation or settlement) so that they can focus on growing their business.
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
I had a big trial that was scheduled to be heard in 2020 during the start of the COVID pandemic when the HK Courts were shut. The case started 14 years ago (the underlying dispute involves the royalties payable for the production of VCDs and DVDs!) and the legal team had spent a lot of time and effort to get the case ready for trial. For the longest time it looked as if we would have to adjourn the trial (and all our efforts will be wasted) since all Courts were closed but we pulled through! My case became the very first case in HK to have a telephone directions hearing so that the Judge could finalise directions for the trial, and this laid down the foundation for the Court to now regularly have telephone and video conference hearings.
Where do you see your company in the next 3 years?
Our practice keeps getting stronger and stronger with more high-profile cases, such as acting for a group of ad hoc bond holders in the recovery of funds from Luckin Coffee after their collapse in Mainland China and the US stock market. I think the firm, especially the employment practice, will continue to grow and flourish.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
One thing women should do more of?
Speak up more often!
WEN would like to applaud Members who have had great wins, overcome obstacles, used innovative approaches or made other strides as an entrepreneur and who are ready to share their tips with you!
We are delighted to showcase our Premium Member : Janice Chew of JC Legal
Business Nature: Law Firm
Business Start Date: 2014 as JC Corporate
Best Achievement to Date: Our Virtual Legal Clinic won GOLD GLOBEE® for Best Service to Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19. As of May 2022, it has empowered 40+ people and donated HK$10,000+ to our charity partner, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre.
Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey:
JC Legal was not my first venture, and not my last either. My first attempt as an entrepreneur was in 2014, with JC Corporate, a company offering cross-boundary corporate and business- consultancy service. After I became a mother 5 years ago, I began to think about starting my own law firm, not only to give her flexibility but also to enable me to design and deliver legal services the way I wanted to, and the way I envision the industry should – in a manner that was unlike more traditional firms with heritage to uphold. I love coming up with solution and options, creating value for my clients and executing the service as we grow together.
How is your company unique?
JC Legal is known for our bespoke solutions. Headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in Malaysia and the UK, as well as foreign lawyers in PRC and France, we pride ourselves on a global footprint armed with deep, local expertise. We work with trusted partners all over the world to deliver cross-border advisory unique to your needs. JC Legal is a law firm that looks like a startup: a visionary leader, a young team, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a bold commitment to empower and reshape the business community quite unlike our industry, backed by sound legal knowledge and creativity.
We have established a broad practice in corporate and commercial law, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution. Our mission is to serve as the support system of business owners, so they can focus on what they do best. Our flagship Startup Steward Programme has nurtured 100+ high-growth companies, including trailblazers in FinTech and crypto, and industry leaders in their own right.
We are a team of professional lawyers in Hong Kong. We know about risks, and turn them in your favour.
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
The Virtual Legal Clinic was an opportunity arisen from the pandemic, that has touched the lives of many who encounter legal challenges in business, career and personal life. With the on-going global anxiety and social distancing, we refuse to see our clients’ interest as the scapegoat. By being available to the world, we launched this programme, dedicated to ease the stress from urgent situations and to become the second professional opinion for any major decisions.
Our Virtual Legal Clinic won GOLD GLOBEE® for Best Service to Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19. As of May 2022, it has empowered 40+ people and donated HK$10,000+ to our charity partner, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre.
Where do you see your company in the next 3 years?
As much as I am proud of my close team and the business we have built, I would like to strengthen the professional network of JC Legal in Southeast Asia. Apart from our current partners in Malaysia and connections in Thailand, I foresee growing our reach in Indonesia and Vietnam in the next 3 years, or even less.
I envision JC Legal to becoming the go-to law firm in Hong Kong for bespoke solutions, and hopefully a known cross-border law firm within Southeast Asia. I am happy to say the first step is made by being selected as the Hong Kong representative lawyer of Cross Border M&A in the Global Law Experts Network. I am beyond excited to see what’s next.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
WEN would like to applaud Members who have had great wins, overcome obstacles, used innovative approaches or made other strides as an entrepreneur and who are ready to share their tips with you!
We are delighted to showcase our Premium Member : Charu Surtani of Travel Tricks Hong Kong Ltd
Business Nature: Destination Management Company (Travel – Inbound & Outbound – Mice)
Business Start Date: 13 February 2018
Best Achievement to Date:
Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey:
I have been in the travel and events industry for over 25 years and on 13 Feb 2018 I decided to turn my passion for events and travelling, by starting my own company and to be the entrepreneur I am today.
Travel Tricks was established as a way to aid clientele with custom made solutions by leveraging my vast experience and valued connections in this industry.
The name Travel Tricks was born from the wonder people experienced when their needs were well taken care of. I became known as the ‘Magician of the Hospitality Industry’ because nothing was impossible for me!
How is your company unique?
We are a bespoke destination management company. We provide tailor-made and consultancy services for our leisure and corporate clients based on their needs and we are also closely working on new trends of travel which is very unique.
How do you transform a challenge into an opportunity?
Take any challenge as a new opportunity and you will find a way forward. For example, when the pandemic hit, it was a big downfall for the travel business. We managed to start a local events company during that phase and we expanded travel tricks globally and we now have 2 offices, one in Hong Kong and the other in Dubai. We have also partnered with a firm in India. We viewed every downfall as an opportunity to grow.
What is the next step for your business?
We aspire to be a very well known ‘Destination Management Company’ world wide.
What are your top tips to share with other women entrepreneurs?
We are delighted to introduce to you our two new additions to WEN’s Board of Directors! Returning WEN Board Alumni, Shea Stanley will be our new Vice-Chairwoman and WEN Elite Member Sioban Guilfoyle is joining as Board Member. Their wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge and expertise is sure to enrich WEN’s initiatives.
Shea Stanley of Little Steps Asia
Originally from Texas, Shea’s travel and lifestyle media career have taken her around the globe to over 50 countries where she has worked on a variety of TV, print, and digital projects including leading the launches of both Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia and Travel + Leisure South Asia as Vice President of International Marketing. With extensive experience in launching new products in international markets, she set up her own company to consult for Asia’s leading travel and lifestyle media after arriving in Hong Kong in 2006. Her entrepreneurial career continued with the launch of a custom-designed shirt and suit business in which she developed a sales web portal and managed a sales team of 8 in the USA.
When she was pregnant with her first child, Shea longed for a resource offering fun finds and insider tips for parents in Asia. In 2011, she founded Little Steps Asia, the leading website and weekly e-newsletter dedicated to delivering the inside scoop to parents on what to do, buy, and discover in Asia and beyond. The dedicated team across the region scouts, tastes and shops to find the most hip and happening products and places to keep parents in the know and on the go. Little Steps Asia has been successfully running regionally with dedicated local sites in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali, Jakarta, Macau, and Kuala Lumpur. Content for families is produced across a range of platforms including websites, email newsletters, social media, and video.
Mom of 2 kids, Shea enjoys an active lifestyle including hiking, yoga, travel, photography, and of course – exploring the city and traveling the world with her clan!
Sioban Guilfoyle of Glow Salon Hong Kong & Glow Spa Hong Kong
Sioban Guilfoyle relocated to Hong Kong in 2007, continuing her career in retail and consumer banking working with teams across Asia.
Sioban established Lissome Hong Kong Limited in 2014 to explore entrepreneurial opportunities. Identifying an underserved and largely ignored segment in the hair, skincare and beauty market, she purchased Glow in April 2015.
With a genuinely customer-centric approach, unwavering commitment to service standards, and aggressive reinvestment in new business lines, marketing and technology, Glow Hong Kong has seen a ten-fold increase in revenues and continual improvement in margins.
Glow is now one of Hong Kong’s most highly regarded international hair and skincare salons.
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