_Women Leadership in Knight Frank Hong Kong

Natalie Tsui, Executive Director, Head of Marketing & Communications, Greater China

Since joining Knight Frank in 2013, Natalie has proved herself to be an all-rounder who leads the Marketing & Communications team to consistently deliver high quality work. She always effectively anticipates the needs of stakeholders and the business.

As the youngest person ever to be promoted to Executive Director, Natalie strives to lead by example. She defines success by the overall collaboration of her teams in Greater China, and says “Going from individual contributor to leader requires you to focus on the entire team’s success, not just your own. It’s important that we are all on the same page, and all prepared as a team to accomplish our shared objectives.”

Although Marketing is a business support function, the team is crucial to helping front office sales teams reach their targets. “I believe that Marketing has to be an extension of the business, not separate from it,” says Natalie, “to do that and to be successful, a Marcoms head has to have sound business acumen, and good judgment with the support of data and analytics.”

Natalie believes that digital marketing is a vital tool for service lines to reach out to their clients. “Under such unprecedented circumstances with Covid-19, we need to adopt an innovative mindset and integrate the right digital marketing strategies more than ever,” shares Natalie, “This is where our expertise comes through to combat the everchanging needs of our clients and prepare our service lines for acceleration in the future.”

Wendy Lau, Executive Director, Hong Kong Office Services

In the past 2 years, the impact that Wendy has had on our business is nothing short of transformational. She is a market leader in office leasing in Hong Kong and importantly, an all-encompassing team player who invests in the training of younger brokers. This promotion justly rewards her performance and contribution and reflects her position within the marketplace.

With the pandemic affecting regular working arrangements, Wendy has managed to find alternative ways to keep her service line in operation via virtual meetings. However, she noted that the bigger challenge is clients who are reluctant to attend site inspections during the pandemic outbreak, resulting in delays in decision-making. To combat this issue, Wendy and her team have started making videos for clients in lieu of site inspections. Wendy says “Trust your instincts. There’s no perfect way to lead but making decisions and owning whatever comes next offers great opportunities for us to grow.”

For Wendy, practising effective communication is key for managing expectations, both internally within the team, and externally with clients. “When we are dealing with clients and colleagues from different cultures and age groups, better and genuine communication definitely enhances collaboration and the level of success,” advises Wendy.

“Be you. Not a version of yourself. By embracing what makes you unique as a female leader, you will connect with your team on a deeper level that can lift everyone up in the workplace. And don’t forget to have fun along the way! We all spend too much time at work to not enjoy the process.”

Irene Yeung, Executive Director, Head of Finance, Greater China

Since joining us in 2012, Irene has consistently demonstrated a high level of efficiency and reliability. She is fully aligned with the Executive Board, and always delivers the tools and support that Knight Frank needs. She has built solid relationships with all key stakeholders and is a trusted business partner.

Irene likes to face matters head-on in a direct and effective manner. Irene says “When you have a problem, face it and solve it. Don’t hide it.” She believes that women can rise to prominent roles through grit and being confident in one’s capabilities which are reflected through performance.

Irene’s advice is to “Always be inquisitive and not afraid to raise your thoughts. You have to have a voice at the table, but ensure that your views are substantiated with facts and figures, and clear intent and outcomes.”