Karen Chan is the Vice President, Marketing & Project Development of German Pool (Hong Kong) Ltd, and the Director of German Pool Group Co Ltd. Founded in 1982, German Pool specialises in manufacturing, wholeselling and retailing premium electrical appliances, kitchen cabinetry and kitchen equipment. “German Pool” and “German Pool Kitchen” are two renowned brands and the most influential players in the electrical appliances and kitchen cabinetry industry in Hong Kong and mainland China. Ms Chan is responsible for planning the company’s overall project development and devising the marketing and branding strategy.

In the past few years, Ms Chan worked hard on integrating manufacturing, marketing and branding to strengthen German Pool as an OBM. Making use of 7P Marketing Mix as a continuous quality improvement strategy, which includes Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence and Process, she strived to develop German Pool to become a famous and reputable Hong Kong brand.

In the coming year, Ms Chan’s main focuses include - plan for the building of German Pool’s Asia Pacific manufacturing headquarters development project, a 170,000 square-metre site at the Shunde High-Tech Industrial Park; and develop a one-stop-shop kitchen and appliances franchise business in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Ms Chan earned double Bachelor degrees in BBA and BEcon from the University of Washington and double Masters degrees in MEd and MSc Marketing from New York University and Chinese University of Hong Kong respectively. As a strong advocate for lifelong learning, Ms Chan continues to pursue her studies in Doctor of Business Administration at the Hong Kong Baptist University.

Judges’ Comments:

- Demonstrates superb leadership

- Confident and energetic

- Visionary

Jacky Chun is Chairman and CEO of China Metal Recycling (Holdings) Limited (CMR). CMR is the largest metal recycling company in China according to the China Association of Metal Scrap Utilization (CAMU). China is the world’s largest metal consumer, consuming about one third of the world’s metal resources.

Mr Chun founded CMR in 2000. Under his leadership, CMR has been a pioneer in the industry; it is the first and only metal recycling company selected by CAMU as a “Role Model” company and was awarded as a “Clean Production Enterprise” by Guangdong authorities. CMR has achieved rapid growth with revenue and net income growing at a compound annual growth rate of 140 and 150 per cent respectively from 2006 to 2008. CMR production capacity is expected to grow from 0.6 million metric tons in 2006 to 3.6 million metric tons next year.

The scrap metal industry is in the its infancy. China’s fast-growing economic growth relies heavily on limited natural resources, thus such growth is not sustainable. Yet as renewable resources never runs out and could be recycled infinitely, metal recycling industry is therefore an environmental friendly industry. It is an important part of the green and sustainable economic development that the government is encouraging and supporting.

In the coming years, China’s renewable energy will see expansion, providing much room for development. CMR is well positioned to capture this market opportunity as a result of its unique competitive advantages - first mover, large-scale operation, strategic locations in the national distribution network, well-established water and road transportation links, extensive and quality customer base and procurement network, and professional management team.

Judges' Comments:

- A Pioneer in the field

- Unique perspective

- Confident

Dora Ho is the Managing Director of Geneva Watch Group (GWG).  Ms Ho joined the company in 2003 and is now responsible for the formulation and execution of the Group’s key business strategies, from product conceptualisation to manufacturing.  With its headquarters in Hong Kong, GMG has its own production facility, a local office and a logistics centre in Guangdong Province. With its two other operational sites in Italy and the US, GWG employs over 2,000 staff globally.

GWG is one of the leading avant-garde designers, manufacturers and marketers of unique timepieces. Specialising in brand management, GWG designers integrate and complement the characteristics of each brand, to enhance the collection’s look.  The devoted manufacturing team turns designs into finished products of highest quality.  GWG is also committed to the high-quality retail sales of its products.

Ms Ho started her career as watch marketing sales personnel; she established her own business in 1993 before joining GWG. Over the years, she has dedicated great efforts to her company and industry. 

Ms Ho realises the rapidly changing markets and takes the first initiatives to lead GWG to be one of the leaders in introducing environmental compliance into manufacturing.  GWG also generously shares its ‘go green’ experiences within its industry.

Ms Ho also focuses on R&D, she leads a team of over 100 staff to research and develop new technologies for watches and manufacturing.  GWG has strong faith that customer loyalty can be enhanced by innovation.

Besides work, she participates actively in various watch associations and manufacturing chambers to share expertise and contribute to the industry’s development.  Furthermore, Ms Ho is keen on inspiring the next generation to build their talent and imparting her knowledge back to industry and society.

Judges’ Comments:

- Emphasises on technology

- Confident and visionary

- Committed to the industry

Christopher Lam is the Vice President of KC Enterprises (International) Co Ltd. With support from his father, Mr Lam and his elder brother Kam Lam established KC Enterprises in 1993. Focusing on manufacturing high-quality fur products, KC Enterprises today has expanded its operations all over the globe with over 2,000 employees.

The fur products of KC Enterprises are now exported worldwide, to markets in the US, Europe, Russia, Korea and Japan. On top of their Hong Kong headquarters and US branches, the Group has also set up garment factory, fur farm, agricultural farm, and over 100 retail outlets in mainland China – truly realising an integrated approach to developing the modern fur industry.

Courageous and proactive, Mr Lam has been instrumental in boosting the growth of KC Enterprises. In 2005, the Group started its first mink farm in Jilin, followed by the debut of its corn and soya bean farms in Qiqihar in the following year. These initiatives not only hold up to the major developmental direction of China’s agricultural industry, but also amalgamate to become the economic chain of an eco-friendly recycling industry. The mink farm produces organic fertilisers for the agricultural plants; eventually good-quality agricultural harvest is sold at the food market and second-grade yield becomes feed for mink. While the mink farm and the agricultural farm both bring economic benefits, these industries together utilise natural resources in an effective cycle; their combination indeed becomes a classic model which integrates agricultural industry with environmental notions.

Moreover, Mr Lam is an enthusiast in charity activities. Taking part in many different community projects, he is a supporter of anti-drug programmes that promote the healthy development of youngsters and teenagers. Likewise, he is also dedicated to nurture local young design talents, showing his endeavor every year to the Hong Kong Fur Design Competition organised by the Hong Kong Fur Federation (HKFF). He also became Chairman of the Young Executive Committee of the HKFF from 2006 to 2007.

In 2009, Mr Lam is elected as board member of the HKFF. In the future, he will continue to strive for the best for the fur industry while promoting its green development, as well as to take an active role in community projects which benefit the society.

Judges' comments:

- Extensive industry knowledge

- Committed to eco-industries

- Emphasises technology and talent

Bobby Liu is the CEO and one of the founders of Milton Holdings International Ltd (Milton). It was established as a trading company of general plastics materials in 1990, and transformed into a leading engineering plastics materials supplier in mainland China. Today, Milton has seven branch offices in China – Dongguan, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Changchun and Chengdu, headed by the main office in Hong Kong.

Mr Liu is dedicated to the development of value-added production in China. Materials from Milton are utilised in high-end products of renowned brand names. Its focused industry clients include automotives, information and communications, electronics and electrical, and medicals. In 1997, Milton started cooperating with KRAIBURG, a prominent thermoplastics elastomers producer in Germany, to introduce the high-quality plastics material into China. Mutual trust and development grew to the point where a joint venture between Milton and KRAIBURG was formed in 2004.  

Under Mr Liu’s leadership, Milton was presented the Outstanding Entrepreneurial Management Award in 2007. In the following year, while the organisation was chosen as one of The Best SME Partners; he personally was elected by the Modern Plastics Industry magazine as People of the Year 2008.

As a member of the manufacturing and plastics industry, Mr Liu is devoted to the development of the industry. He is an active participant of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), Plastics Technology Centre, and the Hong Kong Plastics Material Suppliers Association. Milton and the HKPC produced the Injection Moulding of Thermoplastics Handbook and Injection Moulding Processing Data Handbook. In 2008, Milton independently published the Thermoplastics Technical Handbook. Also, Mr Liu has been a regular speaker at thermoplastics seminars and forums organised by plastics associations. He believes that knowledge sharing is an effective means to drive the industry’s development.

“Be a socially responsible organisation” is one of Mr Liu and Milton’s philosophies. Charity works and other services to the community are encouraged. Milton has been regular sponsor of scholarships, and an organiser of technical seminars to East China University of Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Qingdao University of Science & Technology, and Guangdong University of Technology. These commitments help foster talents of tomorrow.

Judges' Comments:

- Empasises R&D

- Brilliant market sense

- Committed to the industry

Roger Ngan is the Chief Executive Director of Bburago International Ltd.  He is primarily responsible for business development, marketing, new product and sales.  Bburago International is engaged in the development and manufacturing of die-cast scale models and toy vehicles.  The products are sold globally, and the brand name is well known worldwide as one of the leading of die-cast scale model vehicle.

Since childhood, Mr Ngan has been extremely zealous in toy design and manufacturing.  Upon graduating, Mr Ngan accumulated extensive hands-on work experience with the May Cheong Group for over 10 years.  The company successfully acquired its main European competitor Bburago SpA in 2006.  After the acquisition, Mr Ngan overcame significant difficulties in management and took the lead to relocate Bburago’s production lines to mainland China. He fought against significant increasing material costs and continued to move forward with innovative product designs and created unique items for the company to market.  With support from many car manufacturers worldwide, Mr Ngan broadened product categories and added newly designed products by merging licenced scale models vehicles and toys together.  Sales and market share have both increased significantly. Today, Bburago is one of the most successful die-cast scale vehicle brands in the world.

Mr Ngan is managing the company under a one-stop shop concept, from idea conception, creative design to manufacturing and ultimately to marketing and sales. He strongly believes in the “employees are the most important asset” management principle.  By creating a teamwork atmosphere and improving team spirit at his company through various internal training initiatives, he has enhanced inter-department communication, and has managed to upgrade the quality of the employees. This has allowed the company to develop businesses in many different areas, thus strengthening its competitiveness .

Mr Ngan always provides professional suggestions to industries, and actively participates in many charity activities and various professional organisations, such as FHKI, Hong Kong Trade Development Toys Advisory Committee and Hong Kong Exporters’ Association etc. Mr Ngan contributes greatly to Hong Kong industries and the toy industry.

Judges' Comments:

- Boldly accepts challenges

- Brilliant market sense

- With the spirit of innovation

Benedict Sin is the Director and General Manager of Myer Jewelry Manufacturer Ltd. Established in 1977, Myer is a renowned manufacturer of top-quality jewelry products and gem-set watches. Myer has over 1,600 employees working in factories located at various cities in the Mainland cities, and has developed a global sales network that works closely with numerous international brands.

Mr Sin joined Myer in 1987. Driven by his passion and vision to improve product development capability as well as production efficiency, he has continuously explored and studied advanced technological applications of other industries and how they can be utilised for jewelry production. Thus advanced technology and machines such as design software, computer numerical control machining centre, rapid prototyping machine etc have been introduced to the production line, aiming to improve each and every detail of the production process. Complementing such modernisation, engineers have been recruited and trained to form a new generation of jewelers. Under his leadership, Myer has further enhanced its status as one of the most prominent professional manufacturers of precious metal products.

Regarding his contribution to the industry, starting from 1991, Mr Sin has been working as the Committee Member of both the Jewellery Advisory Committee and Watch Advisory Committee of Hong Kong Trade Development Council,  Vice-Chairman of Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association,  Executive Committee Member and Member of the Assembly of General Committee of Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers’ Association, and Permanent Honorary Director of the Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd. Mr Sin also participates in various trade/professional associations. Dedicated to nurturing the young, Mr Sin, as the leader of participating companies to the “Adopt-A-School” Project, has been a mentor to secondary school students, providing them with guidance and assistance for the future.

Mr Sin is also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – The Third Committee of Lowu District, Shenzhen, member of the Customs and Excise Service Children’s Education Trust Fund Investment Advisory Board and the Government appointed member of the Board of Governors of Hong Kong Philharmonic Society Ltd.

Judges' comments:

- Pragmatic and visionary

- Dedicated to technological breakthrough

- Knowledgeable on the industry

Stanley Szeto is the Chairman & CEO of Lever Style Inc, a leading apparel manufacturer serving clients such as Armani Collezione, Banana Republic, Hugo Boss, J Crew, John Varvatos and Paul Smith.

Established in Hong Kong in 1956, Lever Style’s 6,000 staff in four Mainland facilities produce over 10 million garments a year.  Its products include men’s and ladies’ woven shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, suits, jackets and outerwear.

Mr Szeto joined Lever Style in 2000 and became CEO in 2001.  Since 2000, the company has tripled in size, making it one of the fastest-growing companies in the apparel manufacturing industry. Since 2005, Lever Style has been reengineering the conventional garment manufacturing process to improve speed and flexibility.  Hong Kong Trade Development Council and media organisations such as CNN have profiled Mr Szeto’s pioneering efforts in adopting such manufacturing systems.

Mr Szeto has turned Lever Style into a model corporate citizen.  Since 2006, the company has been SA8000-certified.  Its key customers such as Gap Inc, have publicly lauded its exemplary labour practices.  The company is also widely recognised as a leader in becoming environmentally sustainable.  In 2008, the company was select by the World Wildlife Fund as its first apparel industry partner for its Low Carbon Manufacturing Program.

Mr Szeto graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, triple-majoring in Finance, Entrepreneurial Management, and Legal Studies.  Prior to joining Lever Style, Mr Szeto worked at JP Morgan’s mergers and acquisitions unit, and later at Prudential Asset Management Asia Ltd. Mr Szeto served on the boards of portfolio companies, focusing on strategy and management issues.

Keenly involved in the industry, Mr Szeto has taken leadership positions in various trade associations such as Hong Kong Textile Council, Hong Kong Garment Manufacturers Association, Federation of Hong Kong Garments Manufacturers and Hong Kong Vocational Training Council.

Judges' Comments:

- Committed to the industry

- Boldly accepts challenges

- Steady and determined

Peter Tse is the Executive Director and CEO of China Translation & Printing Services Ltd (CTPS). He joined the family business in 1994.  CTPS is a privately owned printing company with its head office in Hong Kong and production facility in Dongguan, employing over 1,000 staff.  Established in 1964, CTPS started as a technical translation company, and is now an internationally renowned and leading book manufacturer. It has worked with international publishers for 45 years, exporting to every continent. 

Mr Tse has been the mastermind behind the transformation of CTPS since joining, taking the company to new heights. He introduced a new corporate structure and a professional management team with strong emphasis on administration, manufacturing, logistic, IT and business development, to ensure CTPS sustains growth of over 40 per cent per annum between 2002 to 2006.

With the industry’s new technologies and a well-planned investment programme, Mr Tse successfully helped CTPS to establish a new corporate image and market niche. He focused and expanded on the company’s expertise in printing on very thin paper for products like the Bible.  He initiated CTPS to provide value-added printing to its customers, such as testing materials and improving manufacturing processes. Mr Tse is a strong advocate of corporate social responsibilities and green manufacturing process, and led CTPS to gain compliance of ICTI and FSC.

Mr Tse is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Printers Association (HKPA). He founded the Youth Sub-Committee to attract the younger generation to participate in HKPA. He represents HKPA on the Board of the World Print and Communications Forum and sits on the Advisory Committee for Printing and Publishing Industries Training of the HKSAR Government Education Bureau as well as the Vocational Training Council’s Training Board.  Mr Tse participates actively in career talks with students in printing studies at the VTC and Wuhan University as he strongly believes that education will sustain the prosperity of the printing industry. 

Judges' Comments:

- Pragmatic and visionary

- Emphasis on enhancing production technology

- Committed to the industry

Woo Pat-nie is the Director of Central Textiles (Hong Kong) Ltd, a leader of innovation in the textile field with a number of proprietary patented technologies, and is also one of the first Asian (ex-Japan) mills to exhibit at top global fabric shows such as Premiere Vision and Expofil in Paris.

Under Mr Woo’s leadership, Central Textiles actively promotes sustainable development in the textile and apparel industry; Central is the first Asian manufacturer in the textile and apparel industry to issue a sustainability report under the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines.  The sustainability report has not only gathered interests from the industry, but has received praise from NGOs such as WWF Hong Kong and Oxfam.

Mr Woo also serves as Chairman of the Sustainable Fashion Business Consortium (SFBC) in Hong Kong. Mr Woo shows his passion in promoting the adoption of sustainable practices to industry across the fashion supply chain, from raw material supplier to spinners and all the way to garment manufacturers, retailers and designers. Mr Woo is determined to see SFBC become an agent of change, make the industry more conscious on environmental and social issues.

Through Central and SFBC, Mr Woo has started an industry-wide initiative to introduce a more sustainable business model into the fashion supply chain.  This initiative is the first of its kind in the textile and apparel industry and has received global recognition. Mr Woo often speak at major conferences in Hong Kong as well as in Europe and the US.  The industry has been pleasantly surprised by the proactive approach that Asian manufacturers are taking in leading the industry into the second decade of the 21^st Century.

Other posts that Mr Woo holds include Chairman of the Hong Kong Cotton Spinners Association, General Committee member of the FHKI, Board member of the Textile and Clothing Training Board of the Vocational Training Council and Board member of the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles & Apparel.

Judges' Comments:

- Committed to green manufacturing

- Believes in promoting sustainable development in the industry

- Committed to the industry

Michael Yu is the Director of Sunnex Products (China) Ltd which was established in 1989. The company operates two wholly-owned factories in mainland China. Sunnex is the company’s brand name, and it specialises in stainless steel catering equipment and kitchenware for hotels and household. Sunnex is one of the largest manufacturers of stainless steel catering and kitchenware in Hong Kong.

Mr Yu joined the family business in 1992, and over the years he transformed the company and built up the Sunnex brand identity and image in the professional catering equipment industry. In 2002, he started domestic sales in Mainland. With an accurate marketing strategy, a remarkable sales team and distribution network were set up within a year. The distribution network now covers all 34 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the Mainland. While expanding rapidly, Sunnex recorded zero bad debt in the past seven years, indicative Mr Yu’s successful credit management system. He now attends to developing new markets in emerging regions like India and the Middle East.

Mr Yu is also actively engaged in the development of the metal manufacturing industries. He is currently the Honorary Chairman of the Hong Kong Metal Manufacturers Association; Executive Committee member of the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong; the Chairman of FHKI Group 7 – Metal Machinery. 

Mr Yu is also enthusiastic in charity work through the Sunnex Foundation, which is a Hong Kong-based charity focusing on education in Hong Kong and the Mainland.

Judges' Comments:

- Promotes transformation and upgrade of the industry

- Committed to community service

- Pragmatic and energetic