After working and accumulating experiences in a certain industry for a few years, would you prefer staying in a stable job or taking a completely new path to challenge yourself? Yang Yang, Vice President of AQUMON’s Institutional Group (Greater China) shares his incredible journey in transitioning from an introvert to the top China Sales lead. He also opens up how AQUMON shapes his personal growth along the way. 

 

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

 

1. Rapid fire questions

 

Tell us something interesting about yourself

 

I majored in computing in college and my first two jobs after graduation were programming related. My work was technical in nature, which suited my more introverted personality, so I struggled to communicate properly with my product managers at that time.

 

Now, I’ve been working at AQUMON for the past3 years in institutional sales. During this journey, I have changed a lot and have become much better  at communicating with people.

 

Extended reading:

From Pyramids to Fintech - Celebrating an Unconventional Career

 

 

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

 

During my first year at AQUMON, I traveled to Bangkok during the National Holidays to learn Thai Boxing in hopes of getting fitter. After attending only a few classes, I tried sparring with a local 15-year-old fighter, and got thoroughly bested by him.  It was from this experience that I fell in love with Muay Thai and inspired me to learn more about it.

 

 

 

 

Given a choice, which ONE superpower would you want? 

 

The ability to teleport myself from one place to another, so that I can teleport to Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, or Bangkok at any time without taking a plane or train.

 

 

Three words to describe yourself

 

Rational, Go-getter, Pragmatic.

 

 

2. Why did you decide to join AQUMON?

 

I joined AQUMON since late 2018, when AQUMON was still in incubation at the laboratory of the Industrial Research Building at the HKUST, without any windows or office seats. At that time, there was a group of like-minded algorithm scientists and computer experts working day and night to develop the statistical models, and the atmosphere was wonderfully entrepreneurial and geeky.

 

Extended reading: 

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

 

Apart from wanting to learn more from the brightest minds, a large reason for joining AQUMON was that I wanted to challenge myself.  We brought quantitative sciences to the financial industry through various communication channels and customer touchpoints; we were able to convert a bunch of complicated algorithms and strategies into sophisticated financial products that ultimately brought in revenue for the company, the entire process is extremely fulfilling and rewarding.
 

That's the reason why I joined AQUMON. I believe that through the power of science and technology, retail customers can also enjoy personalized global asset allocation portfolios similar to those offered in private banks. This is the future of wealth management. Throughout our journey in realizing this goal, I also gained a tremendous amount of self-growth.

 

 

 

 

As a side perk, AQUMON has offices in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, so it was also very convenient for me to buy beauty products for my girlfriend during my weekly work trips (this was pre-COVID).

 

 

3. What are the key traits you think are important for a Client-Facing Role? 

 

Empathy: to understand what the client needs better than the client himself.

 

Expertise: You need to be proficient in financial markets, quantitative models, technology engines, etc., to be able to explain them to the clients.

 

Sincerity: The more complex the financial market is, the more honest you have to be when dealing with people.

 

 

4. What does daily life as a Fintech Solutions Specialist look like? 

 

9:00-11:00 : Institutional roadshow and due diligence (usually scheduled in advance)

 

11:00-12:00 : Internal work review and summary

 

13:30-16:30 : Institutional roadshow and due diligence/internal strategy meeting

 

16:30-18:30 : internal work review and wrap-up

 

 

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

 

In March 2022, we faced one of the greatest challenges to date due to the pandemic outbreak in Shenzhen. This was supposed to be the busiest time for AQUMON's business in China. Unfortunately, due to the quarantine restrictions, we had a very difficult time arranging our business trips; it got to a point where I had 5 cancellations of our flights within 48 hours.

 

Since we could not meet in person, the effectiveness of the institutional on-site presentation was greatly reduced. However, we quickly adapted to change the meeting into an online joint due diligence session instead, and sent invitations to institutional clients with colleagues from the asset management team.

 

Extended reading: 

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

 

6. What is your most memorable experience in AQUMON?

 

At AQUMON's inaugural basketball tournament, I witnessed our small start-up competing athletically within our own functional teams: algorithm strategy team, front-end development team, back-end structure team, business development and product joint team. The most surprising twist was that the algo-strategy team, who were usually the least athletic and worked the most in over-time , won the first runner-up!

 

Extended reading:

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

 

7. How does AQUMON differentiate itself from other robo-advisor platforms?

 

Algorithm driven: we differ from other artificially determined investment advisors since we are led by data.

 

Full spectrum coverage:  AQUMON is able to cover all regions/countries/asset classes.

 

Our impressive real-world performance: I think our performance speaks for itself, the return is proof that our algorithms work.

 

 

8. What is the next trend in FinTech?

 

Democratization of hedge-funds.

 

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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