Embracing Challenges to Break Through and Becoming an HR Expert

Full Article in Chinese

• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Business Studies
• Chief Human Resources Officer, CTF Life

"The biggest risk is not taking any risk." This quote perfectly encapsulates Fanny’s journey. After graduating from the Business Studies program at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), she repeatedly stepped out of her comfort zone—transitioning from frontline banking roles to human resources management, focusing on talent development. She even moved from a large bank to join a newly established Chinese bank’s Hong Kong branch during its preparatory phase, building an award-winning "perfect office" from scratch. Today, this HR expert continues to embrace new challenges in the insurance industry, determined to pass on her belief in bold innovation.

In recent years, MBTI personality analysis has gained immense popularity. As an HR expert, Fanny exudes a cheerful and approachable demeanor, embodying the quintessential "E" (extroverted) type who excels in interpersonal communication. She candidly shares that she was highly active in school from a young age, making her delighted to enroll in CityUHK’s Business Studies program, which suited her perfectly.

"At the time, CityUHK was a newly established university, and I happened to enroll in its first year at the Kowloon Tong campus. The brand-new buildings and teaching facilities reflected its youthful energy," Fanny recalls. She explains that youth symbolizes fresh thinking and bold innovation, which was the primary reason she chose CityUHK. Indeed, she spent a fulfilling and joyful academic journey at this young university.

As an active student, Fanny fondly remembers participating in diverse activities during her three years at CityUHK, such as field trips to food factories and report-writing projects. These experiences allowed her to explore different business roles and functions, expanding her thinking beyond the campus. Among the many group projects emphasizing peer collaboration, she thrived—often taking on leadership roles and delivering presentations. This honed her skills in communication, analysis, coordination, and leadership. Combined with the business theories and practical knowledge gained from her studies, these experiences provided indispensable nourishment for her later growth in sales and human resources.

Reflecting on starting her career in sales after graduation, Fanny notes that interacting with various corporate executives helped her develop soft skills such as decision-making, analysis, communication, and stakeholder management. These skills propelled her to become a top sales performer, laying a solid foundation for her transition into the banking sector.

"One of my proudest moments was securing an offer from a multinational bank despite lacking experience in financial product promotion, thanks to my work experience and interview performance. Starting anew in bank sales, I was entrusted by my supervisor to lead a groundbreaking payment platform project. We introduced a user-friendly merchant numbering system, which was well-received by clients, driving significant growth in market share, coverage, and customer satisfaction—bringing me immense fulfillment."

The deeper she delved into banking operations, the more she realized that talent discovery and development were critical to every department’s success. Fanny admits this growing interest in building talent teams to support business expansion led her to pivot into human resources management—a career-defining turning point.

"Large, established banks have well-structured HR systems. But my desire for new challenges led me to join the preparatory team of a new bank’s Hong Kong branch after gaining some management experience. Starting from scratch, I successfully combined my practical experience with professional expertise to help the bank create a development platform and a positive workplace where employees and the company could grow together. This attracted many high-potential talents and earned multiple awards, inspiring the entire team." Last year, Fanny joined CTF Life, a decision she describes as aligning with her personality of embracing challenges. She hopes to leverage her expertise and experience to foster employee growth and development through collaboration with other group companies.

"The workplace thrives on intergenerational cooperation. Each generation has unique strengths—older employees bring experience, while Gen Z excels in digital technology. Companies must stay attuned to industry and talent trends, continuously updating HR strategies and organizing diverse activities to enhance collaboration and mutual learning," she advises.

For CityUHK students aspiring to management roles, she emphasizes the "Six P’s": Passionate, Positive, Persistent, Proactive, Participate, and People-oriented—essential principles for taking the first step toward career success.

（Published at 3 April 2025）