Did you end up with a career unrelated to your college degree?  If yes, you’re definitely not alone! According to The Washington Post, only 27 percent of college grads have a job related to their major.  Caroline York, AQUMON’ head of Corporate Communications, shares her fantastically diverse experience and continuous growth along her professional journey.  From Egyptian Pyramids, Fashion Catwalks to the Frontline of Fintech. 

 

Read about Caroline’s story and key takeaways for successful career transitions in today’s #MeetTheATeam episode.

 

 

1. Rapid fire questions

 

Tell us a fun fact about you

 

I used to study Egyptian Archaeology and we had to learn hieroglyphics, so if one day AQUMON needs their own “Indiana Jones”, I’ll be there.

 

What’s the craziest thing you did?

 

One time I wanted to get to a remote archaeological site in Crete but had no transport (the alternative was to walk 45 minutes), so I hitch-hiked on the back of a pizza delivery moped.  The guy did not speak any English and I did not speak Greek.  Funnily enough he came round when I was about to leave and gave me a return ride back.

 

Given a choice, which ONE superpower would you want? 

 

Teleportation - it would save so much time, money and I can leave the door last minute!

 

Three words to describe yourself

 

Curious, Eccentric, Dedicated

 

 

2. You have a very diverse background, from studying Egyptian archaeology, to being in luxury retail fashion and now in charge of Communications at a leading Fintech firm, can you talk about your journey and the path you chose? 

 

I am very fortunate to have had such varied and eye-opening life experiences.  As the story goes, I had a traditional Asian household upbringing where success was measured by grades, prestige in education and pedigree.  I’ve been an A-star student throughout my formative years and was fortunate to get accepted into a well-known boarding school in Cheltenham. At that time, the dream was to get into one of the top ranking universities globally and springboard into a well-paying job when I enter society.

 

What they don’t tell you is that the world is really big, and that life is full of fantastical twists and turns that book-learning never fully prepares you for.  I was told that my first degree would not matter in such a competitive world; I would go on to study Law as a second degree - which also didn’t matter in the end!  So at the time, I chose a subject that would excite my childhood wonder - Ancient Egypt! I had a wonderful time, travelling the world to different archeological sites, experiencing things my fellow friends did not - all thanks to choosing an unconventional path.  

 

 

 

 

It was therefore almost a happy accident that I ended up working in marketing.  There’s a lot of interdisciplinary skills that were needed and were a great fit for my strengths - extroverted, creative, aesthetically-driven (I worked in a German fashion lingerie and underwear brand at the time).  Through the years, I realised I also had a talent of getting people to listen to me and so I assumed more leadership roles in my career.  

 

When I became the Executive Director of Gusella, an 80+ year old Italian Childrenswear brand, I was leveraging my skills like having a good read on people, adding value for the clients, and gaining strategic insights to lead the brand’s expansion in China and Italy.

 

 

 

 

The key is to try. Life is not linear and different experiences are paramount in shaping your growth.  Ultimately, it was through some luck, a bit of trial and error, gaining a deep understanding of my strengths - my “value proposition” - and polishing those skills that led me to where I am today.

 

 

3. What interests drove you to focus on FinTech Corporate Communications? How did you end up in AQUMON?

 

After working for a myriad of companies across industries, what is important is to have alignment between your values, your skills and the company’s values and needs.  At the time, I had an amateur understanding of the financial world and investments, and I have always been keen to learn about it.  The opportunity presented itself when I was approached by a rising Fintech company called AQUMON, who wanted someone with experience with branding and MarComms.  I thought this would be a wonderful chance to deep dive into the murky depths of finance and also be part of the exciting wave of Fintech adoption sweeping across the world.

 

Extended reading: Know more about Fintech. Meet Jacky Lin: From a World's Leading Bank to AQUMON

 

Since entering the company, I realised how little financial knowledge I had despite my education and working experience. I was awful at investments and it turns out a lot of people feel equally ill-prepared to handle their own finances, including a lot of my friends. So I made it a personal mission of mine to make financial education more inclusive and approachable since it is such a crucial life skill!

 

 

4. What are the key traits you think are important for a Communications Role? 

 

It is a strong belief of mine that most people in conflict, generally stem from miscommunication. Communication is so crucial to human interaction that all civilizations developed their own language and writing, in order to properly share knowledge and build relationships. Therefore, the first step to being a good communicator is to be a good listener, only then can you be empathetic to others.  Of course eloquence and talent in copywriting and public speaking are also important for this role, but to properly convey a message and have them received the right way, you have to be receptive to how people respond and think.  

 

Here’s a good example: picture a white dog.  Now you have an image in your head, your white dog may be a small pomeranian, whereas mine could be a large fluffy Samoyed.  Both are “white dogs” but we have a completely different type of dog in mind.  The funny thing about words is that they can be differently interpreted by different people. Therefore it is important to listen, understand the context of the other parties and use the “appropriate” delivery method to get the message’s actual meaning across.

 

 

5. What does the daily life as the Head of Corporate Communications look like? 

 

First thing, I like spending a bit of time for myself in the morning to centre myself before the busy day starts.  Sometimes it's exercise, sometimes it's a bit of tea meditation.  It is important to hold an appreciative heart - so that when the stress comes later in the day, you can tap into the positive energy there.

 

The workday kick starts with checking up on emails, looking over the meeting schedules, and also reading news in order to keep a pulse of what’s happening in the Fintech world.  During these lockdown/WFH times, I would check in on my team to see how they are coming along personally as well as get project updates.

 

Then when it gets busy, we will be in meetings with internal teams and third party vendors, pitching media stories, reaching out for brand partnerships, speaking with influencers - our team meets a lot of people every week.  

 

When there’s a bit of time away from meetings, I start getting my work done like writing press releases, checking up on all content that goes out through our social media, preparing for interviews and webinars.  Thank goodness I have a great team to help out as items relating to a company’s “communication” can be quite far-reaching. 

 

 

 

 

 

6. What has been your biggest challenge at AQUMON and how did you overcome it?

 

Working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment has its upsides - such as passionate and devoted team members - but also its more challenging aspects.  The toughest challenge I’ve received was to plan and host an Investment Summit for 120+ VIP clients and speakers during the pandemic.  We had around one month to get the venue ready, the invitations sent out, the content and backdrops all done.  Needless to say, it was quite stressful but at the same time, our team pulled together and the event was a resounding success!  We helped to shape and position AQUMON as a forerunning company in FinTech, building our brand credibility and expertise in thought leadership. As a result the sales team was able to bring in more leads than the entire year from this one event!

 

 

 

 

Extended reading: Learn more about Algo and Quant. Meet Dr. Don Huang: Breaking out of the Ivory Tower

 

 

7. What is your most memorable experience in AQUMON?

 

The first project I took on at AQUMON was our first-ever brand campaign launch.  We’ve never done anything to that scale before at AQUMON.  I remember it took us 3 months to conceive the idea, fine-tune the details and production process.  In fact, the original production team had to be replaced at the last minute before shooting the campaign! It culminated in us going on an 18 hour shoot, waking up at 5am and ending the day close to midnight, on the coldest day of the year!  Ultimately, the result was spectacular, we had Mikyung Kim, from MKIM & Co, produce our stunning commercials that you can see on our website.

 

 

Extended reading:  Know more about our vision. Up Close and Personal With The A-Team CEO: Kelvin Lei

 

 

8. What is your biggest accomplishment to date?

 

Cliched as it sounds, it’s actually an ongoing process of growing into the person I am now. I’m pretty proud of myself today! Going through all the experiences, from fashion to FinTech, facing failures, adapting and getting back up, being exposed to so many new ideas through meeting amazing people - it all goes to enrich myself and my experience in life. I’m grateful that AQUMON trusted my vision in building the brand, as well as gave me the opportunity to challenge myself and continue growing.

 

People are the power driving AQUMON’s success. That’s why we value the uniqueness of each individual and always encourage our talents to achieve their full potential. Eager to learn more about the working culture of AQUMON? Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheATeam interview and follow AQUMON’s Linkedin for more exciting updates!

 

Learn more about the current job openings.  Join AQUMON’s family today!

 

Extended reading: The dynamic working culture in AQUMON. Go the Extra Mile.

 

 

 

 

 

About us

AQUMON is a Hong Kong based award-winning financial technology company. Our mission is to leverage smart technology to make next-generation investment services affordable, transparent and accessible to both institutional clients and the general public. Through its proprietary algorithms and scalable, technical infrastructure, AQUMON’s automated platform empowers anyone to invest and maximise their returns. AQUMON has partnered with more than 100 financial institutions in Hong Kong and beyond, including AIA, CMB Wing Lung Bank, ChinaAMC, and Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, affiliate of BOC International Holdings Limited, Zheng He Capital Management and Cyberport are among AQUMON's investors. 

 

The brand is held under Magnum Research Limited and is licensed with Type 1, 4 and 9 under the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong. AQUMON is also licensed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC).

 

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