How Can Marketing & Communications Professionals Contribute to Rebuilding Hong Kong’s Global Reputation?

Kiri Sinclair is the Founder & CEO of Sinclair, a renowned marketing communications agency in the Asia Pacific region, and Honorary Secretary and Chair of the ESG Committee of PRHK, Hong Kong’s public relations and communications association. With 20+ years of experience, she is highly regarded for her expertise in brand marketing, corporate reputation, and issues management. She advises organisations across industry sector on their ESG Strategy, Employee Engagement and CSR Programmes. Kiri’s curiosity, passion, and dedication to positive change propel her forward. She earned her MBA at HKU and lives in her hometown of Hong Kong.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

Drive brand leaders to commit honest and transparent ESG communications and to create marketing programmes alongside them that engage audiences to join the movement to co-create change.

Jonathan moved to Hong Kong in 2008, setting up independent brand consultancy StartJG in the SAR having previously expanded the agency, one of the UK’s leading independents, to Dubai and Moscow. StartJG was notable for its innovative work with the Virgin Group and adidas amongst other clients and quickly become recognized as one of the leading agencies in Asia, winning multiple Agency of the Year Awards. WPP acquired a majority stake in 2008 and having merged the business into the world’s leading brand consultancy Landor (creators of hong Kong’s ‘Asia’s World City’ brand), Jonathan became President for the APAC region, leading teams from 14 studios working for clients including Huawei, Tata, Genesis, Bytedance, Ayala and Swire. Jonathan will be retiring from Landor in September 2024.

Alongside his consultancy work, Jonathan was a Board director of Cricket Hong Kong, helping reshape the sport in the city into a rapidly growing, more diverse reflection of contemporary Hong Kong. He is an elected Board member of the British Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Cambodian Children’s Fund and owner of the popular Cantonese restaurant Nook.

He is the father of two teenagers and alongside still playing cricket into his 50’s, competes in triathlons and marathons.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

I believe strongly in Hong Kong’s role as Asia’s World City. But that role brings with it a responsibiity to lead the way in as many areas as possible – with sustainability very much at the top of the list. As a compact city with a relatively high level of wealth, we have the opportunity to be a beacon for the rest of the region. There are many areas where i believe we can continue to push the boundaries, from innovation in packaging and distribution to mobility solutions and driving new levels of sustainability in real estate development. The Northern Metropolis for instance presents an incredible opportunity to set a new bar in sustainable real estate. So through 2024-25, i would like to see Hong Kong’s public and private sectors embrace our position as Asia’s World City and set the bar for our sustainability goals higher to become a true leader and inspiration to the region.

Karen Khaw is the Founder and CEO of V-Engage, a forward-thinking virtual business consultancy specializing in guiding organizations through digital-to-virtual transformations. With over 20 years of expertise in strategic marketing and communications—14 of which based in Hong Kong covering the Asia Pacific region —Karen has a distinguished track record advising global leaders on reputation management, brand development, and digital-to-virtual media strategies. Her extensive experience includes leading communications and marketing initiatives for prominent international banks such as Barclays Investment Bank, BNY Mellon, Société Générale, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, and the global law firm Baker McKenzie.

In early 2020, Karen embarked on a portfolio career, founding V-Engage to focus on the strategic integration of immersive technologies, including Virtual Reality, the Metaverse, AI, and Robotics, while continuing to advice on strategic communications matters. Under her leadership, V-Engage has become a key partner for Meta’s Reality Labs within the financial services sector, leveraging these technologies in learning, communicating and connecting, to drive innovation and growth.

Karen is the co-founder of the Asia Pacific Association of Communication Directors (APACD) Sustainable Communications Program. Launched in 2020, this initiative bridges students with seasoned communicators to support charities and social enterprises, fostering a network that has assisted 12 non-profits in Hong Kong and 5 social enterprises in Singapore. This program has grown to include over 100 alumni, creating a robust network dedicated to sustainable communication practices.

Additionally, Karen is a founding member of the Global Commtrepreneurs Network (GCN), a unique community of independent consultancies worldwide. As an International Coaching Federation accredited Coach, she is committed to developing emerging talent and also teaches Kids Robotics to inspire early-age STEM engagement.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

I envision Hong Kong becoming a global leader in integrating sustainability with technological innovation. I hope to see a significant shift towards the adoption of green technologies and digital solutions that promote environmental stewardship. This includes broader implementation of virtual and augmented reality solutions to reduce the need for physical travel and resource consumption, as well as more immersive experiences to bring sustainability-leading Hong Kong to the rest of the world.

Additionally, I am keen to see more emphasis on educational programs that prepare young people for careers in sustainability and technology. By prioritizing STEM education and sustainable practices in school curricula, we can empower students to become proactive leaders in the green economy.

This includes expanding initiatives that connect students from early stages with industry professionals and real-world projects, similar to what we’ve achieved with the APACD Sustainable Communications Program.

Hong Kong is well-placed to be the hub where sustainability and technological advancement go hand-in-hand, creating a resilient and forward-thinking community that can inspire global change.

David Ko heads up RFI Asia, the digital arm of global communications consultancy Ruder Finn, with Asia offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

David advises regional clients on digital marketing strategy, and over the years has also trained countless senior leaders on communications and crisis management.

Mich leads research and strategy for brand development at Constant, leveraging her extensive experience in consumer insights, trend forecasting, and consulting for global clients across the ASEAN and China markets. By deeply understanding the evolving consumer landscape, she crafts strategic brand positioning, narratives, and identities that enhance brand equity and long-term commercial viability for forward-thinking businesses.

Prior to joining Constant, Mich was a Consultant at WGSN APAC, where she honed her expertise in trend analysis and consumer insights. She then provided creative consultancy services to large commercial corporations in Shanghai, before transitioning to her current role at Constant.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

I hope to help purposeful and meaningful innovators in/from Hong Kong actualize their potential and commercial value through brand and experience design. Translating that value into the market is crucial for them to sustain and roll out their impacts.

Would love to see big corporations take real action in making changes as they have the power to drive and perpetuate the supply of sustainable processes, practices, materials, etc for these solutions to become more widespread across industries, and funnel into the grassroots.

I want to see the government pull different sectors together to execute multi-disciplinary plans to enable well-designed systems that tackle the city/region’s environmental sustainability challenges.