Building a Sustainable and Socially Responsible Employee Brand

Mark founded Reputation Works to help businesses of all sizes build and enhance their reputations through storytelling with a particular focus on the complex challenge of communicating around sustainability.

Mark has more than 30 years’ experience of working with some of the world’s most renowned brands – including Google, Microsoft, Apple and American Express.

He is fluent in all aspects of communications: media relations, content creation, executive comms, employer branding and internal communications, crisis management, stakeholder engagement, activation and sponsorship.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

If our city is going to make good on the pledges it made in the Paris Agreement, it is high time the Hong Kong SAR government put sustainability at the forefront of its policy making rather than after-thought.

This will need all of us to hold the government to account, particularly when it back-tracks on flagship policies such as the waste charging scheme.

We also need to hold ourselves to account for our behaviour aiming to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible, whether that’s eating less meat, travelling less often or taking the choice not to upgrade our wardrobes each season.

Charlotte is currently the Senior Director of People and Culture at Klook, overseeing both HR Business Partnering, Global Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding. She is passionate about developing people strategies that have a meaningful impact on the ever-changing challenges faced by businesses and their workforce. Her areas of expertise include business partnering, organizational development, change management, talent acquisition, and employer branding. As a strong advocate for DEI, she believes in creating inclusive workplaces where all voices are heard and valued. Charlotte began her career in the luxury retail industry, pioneering business expansion in Greater China. Driven by her interest in connecting with people and her belief that talent is key to successful businesses, she transitioned to Human Resources, spending the last 10 years at Michael Page, KOS International, and K11 before joining Klook.

Ms. Zoe Lau is General Manager and Group Head of People & Sustainability Division at The Bank of East Asia, Limited (“BEA”) in charge of formulating people, sustainability, corporate branding and communications strategies, as well as steering related policies and initiatives of the Bank Group for Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and branches in other markets.

Ms. Lau joined BEA in March 2020. With extensive experience in advertising, corporate communications, marketing, personal banking, wealth management, corporate planning, investor relations and corporate social responsibility, she has held senior positions in financial institutions such as American Express International and China CITIC Bank International. Prior to joining the Bank, she was Director of CEO Office of China CITIC Bank International.

Ms. Lau holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of Hong Kong (“HKU”), and is currently a master’s degree candidate in Sustainability Leadership and Governance at HKU.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

The success of Hong Kong’s sustainability journey is dependent on effective stakeholder engagement. Since the banking industry plays a pivotal role in driving global progress towards net zero, and given my unique position as Group Head of People and Sustainability at The Bank of East Asia, I realise the importance of communicating and collaborating with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders across geographies, who often hold different perspectives and focuses.

It is through strong stakeholder engagement that we solicit commitment and mobilise resources from all walks of life to accelerate the achievement of sustainability goals set by Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. In this way, we should not only be able to keep pace with developments in the European Union and elsewhere, but also contribute to sustainability efforts on a global scale.

Angela is a distinguished leader in marketing with extensive expertise in brand management, digital marketing, and customer engagement. Currently leading the dynamic marketing functions across multiple insurance businesses at AXA Hong Kong and Macau, she has significantly contributed to business growth and brand loyalty through innovative strategies. Angela’s notable achievements include receiving the Distinguished Marketing Leadership Award by the HKMA in 2022. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from The University of Hong Kong and has completed advanced courses in Digital Marketing and ESG & Sustainability. Angela’s profound knowledge and dynamic approach make her a respected voice in the marketing industry.

Pia Wong, a social impact leader with 25+ years of experience, specializes in stakeholder engagement and measuring, improving, and communicating organizational impact. Pia’s passion in impact measurement stems from her 12-year tenure as Executive Director at Bring Me A Book Hong Kong, and her corporate communications experience at Weber Shandwick and Synovate.

As the Founder of Purpose Impact Action Ltd., Pia helps businesses, NGOs and social enterprises evaluate the effectiveness of their work, strengthen governance and operations, using globally recognized impact standards. Pia also advises on social impact strategies, and helps companies mitigate greenwashing through improvement tools such as the B Impact Assessment.

To address systemic challenges in the NGO sector in HK during the height of the pandemic, Pia co-founded Voice for Social Good, ensuring partnerships between nonprofits and funders are based on trust and deliver on impact.

In 2020, as part of her work for Voice for Social Good, Pia was recognized as 2020 AmCham Women of Influence nominee for “Global Issues, Local Heroes, Women Taking the Lead.”
More recently, Voice for Social Good was a 2024 finalist for the Shared Value Initiative Award for Bravery.

Pia has a BA (Hons) from University College London and received a scholarship to attend Harvard Business School (HBS) Executive Education program on Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management. Pia has also successfully obtained the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL)’s Business Sustainability Management Certificate and Impact Measurement and Management for the SDGs certificate from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme SDG Impact.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

I hope to see more businesses in Hong Kong partner with NGOs strategically to address many of the social issues in Hong Kong.

NGOs, with the support and guidance from their board members, invest more time and resources into impact measurement for better due diligence. I truly believe this will elevate trust between funders and NGOs, which in turn will increase operational funding (eg. staff salaries, capacity building) for the NGO’s long-term sustainability and impact.