CEO棄高職組班 倡設計思維加科技 改變世界
香港頭條日報2019年11月1號港聞版
前亞洲萬里通行政總裁Stephen Wong毅然離開任職二十一年的太古集團，寫上人生新一頁。究竟為什麼？
English Translation of the Headline News article on 1st Nov, 2019
CEO-turned-entrepreneur evangelizes design and technology to change the world
Whilst a study shows that the Hong Kong millennials are relatively less entrepreneurial than their American and European peers, lagging the global innovative technology development, a CEO from a local conglomerate quit his job and started a new venture with like-minded entrepreneurs. The startup aims to create social impact through design and technology. Their first mission - a new form of Decluttering - hopes to help people rejuvenate and create value from their idle resources.
The 45-year-old Stephen Wong has worked at Swire Group for 21 years with a smooth-sailing career, being theCEO of Asia Miles Ltd and Director, Strategic Business Development for Swire Coca-Cola Ltd.
It’s the motto of his alma mater, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where Stephen was a Sloan Fellow, changed him: “Change Lives, Change Organizations, Change the World.”
“The motto was what inspired me to pursue my study there in the first place, and yet after graduating for so long, I haven’t had the chance to change the world,” he said.
Many of those Stephen met during his Stanford years had the same aspirations to change the world. Amongst the forty students in the class, seven to eight became entrepreneurs; one of whom has created the world’s most successful student loan platform. He sees the boundless opportunities.“I became more open- and clear-minded about how we can utilize technology to improve social efficiency.”
At the same time, Stephen also mastered Design Thinking, a people-oriented approach that emphasizes the importance of addressing the problem itself, rather than the solution.
Creative Decluttering
Early this year, Stephen came to notice that most people possess stuff that are not utilized but hard to be dealt with. He made a bold decision in May by resigning his then job and partnering with his Stanford alumnus, Howard, to establish Dory Technology (“Dory”). The debut project:to help people get rid of their idle items easily.
“A project would only thrive if we apply a business model to create value for each stakeholder,” remarked Stephen, leveraging his years of management expertise. In the past, charities and enterprises were considered two different worlds. Today, they become complementary.. Companies could create value for society while simultaneously making a profit. This is also Dory’s goal: applying Design Thinking to create social impact and at the same time make profit to sustain the company's operations, said Stephen.
Stephen said his company’s DNA is reflected in the name“Dory”: Just as how Dory - the blue-tang fish in the movie Finding Dory - braces for challenges. He is a strong believer of teamwork, unity and determination to solve all the challenges ahead.
Dory also emphasizes on oneness. For example, if someone throws a trash into the sea in Hong Kong, it can go all the way to the shore in San Francisco. “We have to broaden our horizons and look further. Just because something is not happening under your eyes, it doesn’t mean that it’s not happening in the rest of the world.”
Starting his new journey as an entrepreneur, Stephen thanks his team for joining the company right at the beginning. Albert, one of the founding team members, previously consulted Stephen during his tenure in Asia Miles. Both believe in the people-oriented approach and create synergy of one plus one equals something far greater than two. Other team members, Alva and Apo, hope to envision a broader world in Dory, and to bring positive changes for society.
Alex, a Frenchman, was also appealed to join Dory by its mission. He pointed out that such a concept is not very common in France and he looks forward to creating positive impact to the society. Teresa, another employee of Dory, added that joining Dory has been one of the most meaningful challenges in her life.
“It is a true blessing to go to work everyday, holding the belief that we are all contributing to the world, despite how minuscule it might be,” said Stephen. And he is achieving this by working with the new gens, understanding and exchanging thoughts, and making progress together as a team.