For Queen’s alumni, innovation knows no boundaries.
The university has been working to expand innovation programming to drive Queen’s into the 21st century. On campus, the Innovation and Wellness Centre in the heart of Queen's campus, will provide access to state of the art facilities for student wellness, innovation and research space, and engineering. Yet on the other side of the globe, alumni in Hong Kong are forging their own path. In anticipation of the Queen’s Innovators Hong Kong event, four alumni share their entrepreneurial stories and how their time at Queen’s contributed to their success.
Peter KY Wong, Sc'03, is a flight captain by day, but when he’s not navigating the skies you can find him piloting the world of casino gaming. As the co-founder of idNerd Studio Limited, Peter and his team work with major casino operators in Asia, Europe and North America to bring high-tech visual services to the gaming industry.
Question 1: Tell us a little bit about your company.
PKW: Besides my flying career, my brother and I co-founded idNerd Studio. It initially started as an animation, game design, as well as mobile games development studio based in Hong Kong. We later expanded into a more specialized area, casino game design. Recently, we launched our X Stadium product, which is an advanced TV and LED wall Display System designed for the casino gaming marketing.
The idNerd Studio team in front of one of their casino gaming display systems.
Question 2: Why did you start the company?
PKW: I initially started my company by networking with friends. I realized there was a need in the market for custom animations and game development. Subsequently, the business evolved into a niche market. Today, our customers and product are pretty much 90% casino related.
Question 3: What is the ultimate goal?
PKW: The ultimate goal is to provide more innovative solutions to the casino gaming market. Currently, it is largely dominated by a few major players and there is with very little innovation in terms of contents or new technologies. So, we’re always asking ourselves, how do we bring innovation and creative ideas into an already well-defined market? Coming up with new concepts and innovations is what we try to do at idNerd Studio.
Question 4: How did Queen’s contribute to your success?
PKW: Queen’s always taught me to think outside the box. Don’t just follow the path that everyone is following, go and try something different. I still fondly remember my second year in mechanical engineering where we needed to reverse engineer a disposable camera to make it better and design a robotic golfer using old printer parts. All of this helped shape the way I think about problems.
Janice Liu, Artsci'08, and Head of Hong Kong for Scottish Development International represents the interests of the Scottish Government in Hong Kong and aims to support investment in Scotland and international trade between the two nations.
Question 1: Tell us a little bit about your current role.
JL: I work for Scottish Development International (SDI), which is the economic development agency of the Scottish Government. Our primary job in the Hong Kong office is divided into two main areas, trade and inward investment. We provide on-the-ground support to Scottish companies who export their goods and services in the Hong Kong market. Additionally, we also promote Scotland’s strengths and capabilities in various industries and encourage local companies to think about Scotland as their next business destination.
Question 2: Tell us about your career.
JL: Prior joining SDI, I spent a number of years in the private sector as an investor relations professional in both Hong Kong and Singapore. I realized that my skill set is transferable and that I could create a greater impact by helping not only the big corporations but many small and medium-sized enterprises as well. I have found this to be very satisfying and I enjoy what I’m doing very much.
Question 3: What is the ultimate goal?
JL: The goal is to continue to work with different companies locally and achieve greater economic impact in Scotland and the UK through trade and investment work in Hong Kong.
Question 4: How did Queen’s contribute to your success?
JL: Topics around macroeconomics are often discussed during many high-level conversations with government officials, investors and companies. As an economics graduate and an international student from Queen's, I am able to understand many fundamental economic concepts easily, which is highly advantageous.
Studying overseas in Canada has also given me the benefit of becoming a global citizen. I am able to think globally and act locally. This really helps when working locally with companies and at the same time, promoting an international vision to them.
Jimmy Lam presenting on behalf of Master Lam Foods at the Hong Kong Productivity Council.
After working in IT for international corporations, Jimmy Lam, Sc'07, decided to set off on his entrepreneurial journey by creating a web platform. He would later come to utilize these skills as the Director of Business Development at Master Lam Foods, working alongside his father.
Question 1: Tell us a little bit about your career and companies.
JL: Upon graduation, I started my career in Toronto in corporate IT and consulting but eventually decided that I wanted to get into the startup world. Our project, a social media web platform, won a grant (and later a spot in a two-year incubation program) from Cyberport in my home city of Hong Kong. While that project continues to be developed by my co-founder, I’ve since made the move to join my father in running a food manufacturing business which he himself started two decades ago. Our company, Master Lam Foods Ltd, is a leading supplier of premium-positioned processed agricultural food ingredients in Hong Kong and South China.
Question 2: How have you developed this work?
JL: The web platform was started out of curiosity, and it took us some time to find a right business model. Although a part of two different industries, many of the lessons I learned from the web startup experience help me in running our food manufacturing business. Similarly to the web platform, the food manufacturing company was born out of the need to fill a market gap. Customers approached us with their requirements for healthy, natural, good-tasting yet shelf-stable ingredients, and we developed the food processing technology to meet their needs.
Question 3: What is the ultimate goal?
JL: At Master Lam Foods we are well-known for unique premium ingredients such as pre-packaged purple sweet potato pastes, black sesame pastes and adzuki bean pastes. These are all superfood products recognized in East Asia but have yet to gain more awareness outside of the region. One of our goals is to develop food processing technologies to further scale production while applying modern marketing techniques to extend the reach of these products into more food sectors and alongside the growing global demand for healthy natural ingredients.
Question 4: How did Queen’s contribute to your success?
JL: At Queen’s, I received an excellent well-rounded education, with a major in engineering complemented by electives in business and arts. I held roles in engineering and cultural clubs and started a sports team. Through all these activities I developed an interdisciplinary mindset and approach to my life and career.
As the Managing Director for Ensec Solutions in Hong Kong, Alex has installed hundreds of integrated security systems for clients across the Asia Pacific.
Alex Ho, Sc'05, became the Managing Director for Ensec Solutions Hong Kong Limited after working for a multinational security corporation. With a strong acumen for IT, Alex decided to develop his own security system startup which has found great success over the last decade.
Question 1: Tell us a little bit about your company.
AH: Ensec Solutions is a Hong Kong based company specializing in security system integration. Beginning with consultation and planning, and extending to project management and technology selection, engineering, design, system integration, installation, technical service, training, maintenance and support, we provide one-stop solutions for all the security need to have peace of mind. Founded in 2008, we have since grown from a one-man operation to now with over 30 staff and completed over 5,000 projects in 47 cities in 9 countries/regions all across the Asia Pacific.
Question 2: Why did you start your current company?
AH: One of the main reasons that I decided to start my own company was to maximize my own exposure to various opportunities while I’m still young & energetic to seize them.
Question 3: What is your biggest business objective?
AH: Our ultimate goal is to be recognized by the general public (not just for Hong Kong, but the whole Asia Pacific region) as a quality brand for security-related services. We believe that we are on the right track, as we had been recently named one of the “Hong Kong Top Service Brands” by the Hong Kong Brand Development Council, which is the first and only security company to ever receive such recognition.
Question 4: How did Queen’s contribute to your success?
AH: Through my years studying at Queen’s, I was able to learn that hard work and dedication are important factors to achieving one's goals.
The Queen’s Innovators in Hong Kong gathering will be taking place on March 21, 2018.
