Tag: Greater Bay Area

Hong Kong – Canon Hong Kong Company Limited has announced the immediate appointment of Gary Lee as its new chief executive officer, ushering in a new chapter of leadership for the company.

Lee brings more than 30 years of expertise in accounting and finance, having joined Canon Hong Kong in 1997. Throughout his tenure, he has held several senior management roles across diverse business units and regions, establishing a strong foundation of leadership and strategic insight.

In his new role, Lee will lead Canon’s business operations across Hong Kong, Macau, and the Greater Bay Area, driving strategic growth and innovation in these key markets.

Lee holds a Business Administration degree from Hong Kong Baptist University (1992) and an Executive MBA from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2012). Renowned for his forward-thinking approach, he advocates for leveraging advanced technologies to drive operational efficiency and digital transformation.

In 2011, Lee was promoted to senior director of managing finance, IT, supply chain, and legal across Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Mongolia. From 2017 to 2024, he served as vice president and CFO of Canon India, overseeing finance, legal, corporate communication, government relations, and procurement. With his global perspective and strategic insight, Lee is poised to drive Canon’s growth and competitiveness in a fast-evolving industry.

“Canon Hong Kong has had a deep bonding with Hong Kong people for over 50 years. Leveraging the city’s unique geographical advantage as a gateway to Macau and the Greater Bay Area, we have achieved remarkable growth in both local and cross-border business with the immense support of our customers and business partners,” Lee shared. 

He added, “I look forward to striving for new heights with the talented team. We will continue to drive digital transformation for our customers through innovative imaging technologies and intelligent business solutions. At the same time, we remain committed to our corporate philosophy of “Kyosei” to create greater value for society and move towards a sustainable future with other stakeholders.”

Macao – The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) have launched a joint marketing campaign featuring TV program productions to showcase the Greater Bay Area as a premier destination for Southeast Asian tourists.

Titled ‘Hashtag Travelog,’ the program will star Korean boy band CIX, who visited Macao and Hong Kong for filming, alongside Malaysian artists Danny Koo and Jordan Sen, who joined the production in Guangzhou and Jiangmen, Guangdong.

The new program aims to enhance the Greater Bay Area’s appeal and visibility in the Southeast Asian market, supporting efforts to attract international visitors.

Consisting of four episodes, ‘Hashtag Travelog’ will feature Macao in two episodes and highlight Guangdong and Hong Kong in the remaining two. Through celebrity-led tours and fun challenges, the show invites audiences to explore the vibrant attractions of the Greater Bay Area, inspiring them to experience the region firsthand.

‘Hashtag Travelog’ is set to premiere on 9 December, airing on tvN Asia channels across eight countries and regions, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, the Maldives, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The program will also be available on Thailand’s TrueID channel and the Viu OTT platform.

The travelogue’s debut will be supported by a range of promotional activities, including video content and social media campaigns across the travelogue’s, celebrities’, and tvN Asia’s platforms, leveraging the power of social networks for wider reach and visibility.

“Leveraging the impact of Korean and Malaysian celebrities in the Southeast Asia market, the show will build the Greater Bay Area’s reputation as a fascinating destination,” MGTO wrote in their official press release. 

“Through the cooperative mechanism enabled by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Tourism Marketing Organization, MGTO has forged close communication and collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Tourism Board all along. The three offices work together to promote sharing of tourism resources and brand the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as one great destination,” the press release added. 

The tourism offices of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao continue their collaborative marketing efforts, hosting joint booths at international travel fairs, organising promotional events, producing TV programs, and arranging familiarisation trips to expand international visitation. Earlier this year, a Canadian TV production filmed a travelogue about the Greater Bay Area while Indonesian celebrities visited in July for the show ‘Celebrity on Vacation,’ showcasing the region’s diverse travel experiences.

Hong Kong – Dentsu Hong Kong has appointed Tom Wan as its chief executive officer for Greater Bay Area (GBA) solutions. In his new role, Wan will spearhead growth of the newly established business team across borders, realising the group’s commitment to contribute to their clients’ strategic growth in the region and weave capabilities with this important development paradigm for decades to come.

In his new role, Wan will report to Simone Tam, Group CEO of dentsu Hong Kong and work in partnership with the wider leadership team, across dentsu’s capabilities across creative, media and CXM.

Wan encompasses more than 30 years of experiences; beginning his career in New York and Hong Kong before spending the last 20 years in Mainland China. He then joined dentsu Hong Kong in February 2023.

Prior to joining dentsu, he served as the president of experience in Ogilvy China, which he oversaw the relaunch of the agency’s digital transformation and experience unit that covers the martech, data analytic, CRM, e-commerce, UI/UX, and performance media practice. He has also served as the CEO of IPG Mediabrands China and led key positions in the wider WPP Group APAC.

Speaking on his role, Wan said, “I’m excited to return home to Hong Kong after spending [over] 20 years of my professional career in the mainland market, be able to contribute my knowledge and experience to our clients’ growth strategy & initiatives in the GBA region.”

Meanwhile, Tam commented, “GBA is a primary growth strategy for many of our clients for the next decade. With Tom’s deep experience and knowledge of the mainland market, we are confident we can truly offer strong, practical business solutions for clients who are interested in GBA.”

Wan’s appointment follows the recent appointment of Dan Paris as the chief growth and product officer for Dentsu Asia-Pacific.

Hong Kong – Edelman has appointed Delicia Tan as its new chief executive officer in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. In her new role, she will lead the firm’s offices in Hong Kong and Taipei, as well as being in charge of realising the firm’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) strategy, partnering with regional sector leads to further integrate and expand the firm’s operations in Shenzhen.

She will report to Pully Chau, President of Edelman Greater China. In addition, Tan will also serve as a trusted advisor to the firm’s China leadership team, having spent over two years leading the corporate practice at Edelman Beijing from 2013 to 2015.

With over two decades of experience in communications, Tan has spent the last 16 years at Edelman. In her most recent capacity, she evolved the Singapore operation’s 50-strong corporate reputation practice into a fully integrated communications team, as well as serving as the APAC chair for diversity, equity and inclusion, championing the firm’s efforts for greater inclusion and belonging across the region.

Speaking on her new role, Tan said, “I’m thrilled to be a part of Edelman’s journey as we enter a new era of client-centric innovation with a focus on driving stronger partnerships and impactful client work. I’m dedicated to building on our strength as One Edelman across borders and disciplines; earning trust through action, while presenting the full value and creative power of Edelman in a seamless and relevant way to our clients.”

Meanwhile Chau commented, “I’m delighted to welcome Delicia into her new role. Her strong experience in client strategy and integrated corporate communications and her past work in China will enable us to continue our strong momentum in Hong Kong and Taiwan, while inspiring greater growth in Shenzhen. I envisage the adjacency of Shenzhen and GBA as an additional springboard for sustainable growth that will bolster China brands going global and Hong Kong-based enterprises tapping into China growth.”

Hong Kong – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a statutory body that promotes, assists, and develops the country’s trade, has launched the GoGBA one-stop platform, a new business support program that aims to help SMEs tap into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

GBA is China’s project that seeks to foster economic growth by developing technology and innovation, boosting infrastructure, and increasing financial links between Hong Kong, Macau, and nine other cities in Southern China.

Through the new GoGBA one-stop platform, businesses will be able to enjoy its three major services that can help them succeed in the region.

One of the services is the digital information and business tools, which consists of the GoGBA WeChat mini program digital messaging platform, running in collaboration with the government offices of Guangdong province and municipal governments in the GBA. It provides important information on the region including updates on policies and subsidies, listings of related business and trade organizations, and regional guides, as well as information on GBA government services and applications. It also offers practical tools such as weather forecasts, interactive maps, and details of public services, among others.

GBA also offers advisory services and training, where centers organize a series of seminars and workshops, sharing sessions and advisory activities in group or individual formats, equipping companies with the practical knowledge and skill sets needed to succeed.

And lastly, GBA offers online and offline activities, promoting the adoption of the new ‘digital and physical’ format for events and activities. The Council is currently planning to organize a wide range of activities in the mainland, including exhibitions and conferences, to help Hong Kong enterprises promote their products and services, explore business opportunities in GBA cities, and gain practical experience at the same time.

HKTDC’s Chairman Dr. Peter K N Lam shared that the GBA offers huge opportunities for businesses in Hong Kong and around the world. 

“Our GoGBA WeChat mini program is a useful digital tool to complement our physical support centers in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and other parts of the GBA through our partners. As more and more businesses look for prospects in the GBA, the HKTDC is here to help,” said Lam.

Hong Kong – As more and more consumers are embracing an online-to-offline (O2O) approach to the retail industry, a greater majority of retailers across Hong Kong and nine key cities in Mainland China, known as the ‘Greater Bay Area’ (GBA), are keeping in mind the importance of digital strategies to their business, specifically in the local setting, a new report from consulting firm KPMG, in partnership with the Hong Kong arm of business communication non-profit GS1, and financial institution HSBC shows.

In its latest report, they note that 73% of GBA retailers are implementing localized forms of their retail digital strategies, keeping in mind that they are increasing their use of both direct-to-consumer e-commerce and third-party e-commerce platforms.

The most common business functions for which 43% of surveyed retailers are implementing a GBA strategy are sales and marketing and communications, as companies look to attract customers in the mainland China market. Thirty percent of those retailers polled are developing a GBA programme for fulfilment, logistics, operations or supply chain management.

Consumer-wise, one in two (50%) of Hong Kong consumers said they felt more comfortable about shopping online since the start of the pandemic, not far behind the 59% of respondents from the nine mainland China GBA cities surveyed. Tellingly, 24% of Hong Kong consumers and 23% of those in the mainland GBA cities say they could live without physical retail stores.

The greater force that the report notes as game-changer for the modern retailer is the choice of Gen Z consumers towards online shopping, as 73% of Gen Z consumers in Hong Kong and 86% in mainland GBA cities expecting a swift response to product enquiries logged on online chat, and expecting brands to use tech including AI to help shortlist new products. 

They also expect augmented reality (AR) functions to help them make better purchases online, with 61% in Hong Kong, and 82% in mainland GBA cities. The research also shows Gen Z consumers prefer contactless shopping (60% in Hong Kong and 77% in mainland GBA cities). Around 76% of retailers surveyed are adopting at least one type of Gen Z-specific strategy.

In the mid of the rising population of shoppers moving towards online, GBA retailers need to act fast to respond to the consumers’ O2O needs. The research shows a vast gap between customer expectations and what retailers are delivering, with 77% of Hong Kong and 85% of mainland respondents in the GBA indicating that retailers need to have a better connection between channels and create a seamless customer journey. Among retail executives that were surveyed on their actions to enhance customer experience, only 39% of businesses were currently focusing on the integration between physical stores and online, suggesting a significant gap in retailers’ O2O propositions.

Alice Yip, partner at head of consumer and industrial markets for Hong Kong at KPMG China, notes that these results cement the fact that more consumers are buying more online than ever before, and the retail brands who have best survived this rapid transition are those who have proven agile in their response to the growing demand for digital engagement.

“Hong Kong and mainland China GBA retailers are already implementing strategies for regional growth across the region while also looking to expand into Southeast Asia, with industry leaders emphasising the need for adequate localisation of products, services and marketing approaches to attract the growing pool of digital-savvy consumers,” Yip stated.

For Anna Lin, CEO at GS1, she explains that consumers expect a seamless transition from an in-store experience to an online experience. She added that consumers also want to engage with brands across social media and other digital media and they expect brands to use technology to improve customer service, ease of payments, flexible delivery options and convenient returns.

This is also agreed by Lewis Sun, head of product management for global liquidity and cash management for Asia Pacific at HSBC, who commented, “In order to deliver a seamless customer journey, more retailers in the Greater Bay Area are looking for a single platform that can take payments from multiple channels – from credit cards, bank transfers to e-wallets.”

As retailers and brands develop more complex digital channels and deploy new technologies, sourcing, upskilling and reskilling talent to build a future-ready workforce will be a key priority for retailers in navigating the new normal and capturing growth opportunities. With technical areas such as IT and systems support (38%), data analytics (35%), and research & development (31%) identified as top areas demanding more workforce, professional development programs as well as talent exchange within the GBA will provide opportunities to fill the gaps.

Guangzhou, China – Nanfang Media Group and Singapore Press Holdings’ Chinese Media Group (CMG) jointly launched a webpage named ‘Explore GBA’ on zaobao.com, a news website in Southeast Asia.

The webpage aims to bring together the enterprises and individuals that contributed to connections between Singapore and China’s megalopolis Greater Bay Area (GBA). It will focus on individual stories that showcase the latest and diverse possibilities for partnership between GBA and Southeast Asian countries.

In general, the two partnering organizations, being one of the biggest media groups in both Guangdong and Singapore, will make use of their resources on the platform to bring insights into China’s highly-anticipated economic plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA, and provide information on the Area’s advantageous policies, industrial and economic development, culture and people’s livelihood.

‘Explore GBA’ is a step forward for the partnership between Nanfang Media Group and CMG. Since 2018, the two media groups have been working to facilitate communication and information exchanges between Singapore and Guangdong, one of the most rapidly-developing provinces in China.

In line with the new platform, an online seminar on the topic of digital economy is scheduled for early 2021, where more details are to be shared on ‘Explore GBA’ according to a press release.