Meet the team
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Ivo A. HahnGlobal Practice Leader - Financial Services Ivo, a Swiss national, has been living in Asia since 1982. In 1999 he founded Xecutive Group Limited and is President and CEO. In 2007, Xecutive became the exclusive Stanton Chase Partner for Greater China, operating from three regional offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing and with plans to further expand into Taiwan and Singapore. In the same year, Mediazone ranked Xecutive for the 3rd consecutive year among Hong Kong's Most Valuable Companies 2007. Before establishing Stanton Chase Greater China (previously operating as Xecutive), Ivo was Country Head, Executive Search & Selection Greater China, with PA Consulting Group. He is also a certified user of SHL and Cubiks' PAPI psychometric assessment tools. He held several senior management, sales and marketing positions in a broad spectrum of industries including fast moving consumer goods, luxury goods, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, building materials and machinery systems for various manufacturing industries. Ivo's extensive knowledge of Asia combined with his broad experience in a diverse range of industries and senior line functions enable him to advise Stanton Chase clients on all relevant aspects of managing businesses in Asia and their implications towards key executive appointments. Born and raised in Switzerland, Ivo speaks German, French and English. He graduated from the Swiss Federal School of Commerce, and majored in Marketing and Economics at IMD Switzerland. His wife is Hong Kong born and they have together two sons. Ivo is Director of the SwissCham Hong Kong, member of the American, French, German and Italian Chambers of Commerce and Associate of the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies. Industry Practice Expertise:
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May PongExecutive Director |
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Gustav ZschiescheAsia/Pacific Regional Practice Leader - Logistics and Transportation Gustav Zschiesche left Austria in 1978 as Senior Vice President of Panalpina with the mandate to grow the company through mergers and acquisitions into a major provider of L&SC services. As one of the youngest leaders creating this new international group, Mr. Zschiesche was involved in all business activities of Panalpina. He was transferred to Nigeria, initially as Branch Manager for Kano. Gustav engaged in a general restructuring and acquired major accounts in Lagos and Port Harcourt. In 1985 Gustav returned to the head office in Basel, Switzerland. In his capacity as Corporate Head of Agents and Delegations, he restructured the company's network in the Middle East, adding new business units in India and Turkey. Panalpina was a minor player in Hong Kong in 1988, with three delegation offices on the mainland but the goal was to participate in China's growth. Mr. Zschiesche created 20 new branch offices throughout China and established Hong Kong as the head office. With Gustav as Managing Director and Chairman of the China group, Panalpina cooperated exclusively with the best in-class partners of the supply chain industry to create network synergies. Panalpina was one of the first companies to receive an A-class license, reinforcing the company's position as a leading global player. In 2001, Gustav was invited to the group's Executive Board of Directors and promoted to CEO of Panalpina Europe. In this new role, Gustav headed 17 country organizations, preparing them for the group's IPO, while acquiring substantial key accounts. Although Gustav resigned from his position at the end of 2003, he continued to serve as Advisor to the Executive Board until mid 2006, when the City of Shenyang appointed him as Foreign Trade and Economic Adviser. Gustav is married to Jaime Lau K.C. and they have two young daughters. Gustav was honoured by the Austrian Government for his outstanding work and was invited by the Shanghai Maritime University as a visiting professor. He speaks German, English and Hungarian, studied at IMD (IMEDE Lausanne) and is a qualified Speditionskaufmann, accredited by the Chamber of Transport & Industry of Vienna. Industry Practice Expertise
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Jean-Benoit KaeppelinManaging Director Jean-Benoit has over 25 years of international experience in operational and human resources management and joined his present company in 2002. After a career in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Jean-Benoit joined the LVMH group in 1977, taking up senior management assignments in several group companies including Christian Dior, Lacroix, Givenchy as Regional Director Asia Pacific, Managing Director of several business units in Europe and Asia and, as of 1990, the role as International Director. He then joined the Holding company of the LVMH group as Director of Development of the organisations. Two years later, he was appointed Vice President of Human Resources of LVMH group for Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong. During this period, Jean-Benoit built up solid management experience in the consumer goods industry and conducted major restructuring projects worldwide including the organizational development for recruitment of senior managers, international mobility, coaching and compensation and benefits programs. A French national, Jean-Benoit graduated from the Institute of International and Diplomatic Affairs, the Institute for Foreign Trade (Institut Supérieur du Commerce Extérieur in Paris) and majored at the INSEAD (Fontainebleau) in Paris. He speaks French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Arabic. He has been appointed Advisor to the French Government for Export Trade for the last 15 years. Industry Practice Expertise:
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John AuAssociate Consultant After graduating from the University of Windsor in Ontario/Canada, John began his professional career as an auditor for a major national oil refining company. Upon returning to Hong Kong in the '70s, John established his own Apple dealership, which he later expanded to incorporate software programs for the financial services industry. John was involved in the development, sales and marketing of an innovative software program, designed to analyze the performance of stocks. This led leading brokerage firms such as Wardley Investment, Jardine Flemming, Peregrine, Hang Seng Bank Investment and other firms to become his clients. He later sold the company to Hsin Chong Holdings. In the early '90s, John joined ABC Data & Telecom Limited as Project Manager and was involved in various financial, freight forwarding and POS related software development and projects. This also included back-office software packages designed for and supplied to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company later listed its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as abcMultiactive Limited, where John spearheaded the localization of the company's flagship product, a CRM software package for Greater China. In 2004, John joined Stanton Chase International Greater China, initially with the objective to launch a client relationship management software program. He also established a regional candidate database to serve Stanton Chase's specific needs in Greater China. John now focuses on the execution of executive search mandates for senior management roles. Industry Practice Expertise
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Meehee SongAsia/Pacific Practice Group Leader – Consumer Products and Services Prior to joining executive search, Meehee was the General Manager, North Asia for a wireless solutions provider. She's also acted as the Managing Director Korea where she combined her knowledge of sales & marketing and general management to bring into being a successful team. Focused on Consumer & Retail, Meehee offers a unique blend of executive expertise combined with a great deal of practical working experience. Meehee has conducted executive searches for clients in placing CEOs, senior executives and specialists in the Consumer & Retail, Technology and Industrial (Energy & Aviation/Aerospace) industries spans Asia Pacific (including China, Japan and Korea). Moreover, she has a proven reputation of delivering ahead of schedule, thereby adding tangible value for her clients. Meehee is a Korean national who has lived in Hong Kong since 1988. Fluent in Korean and English, she also has knowledge of Japanese, Mandarin and French. Industry Practice Expertise:
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Mike RowseSearch Director
Mike first came to Hong Kong in 1972 and has lived there ever since. After brief spells as a tutor and a tabloid journalist, he joined the Independent Commission Against Corruption on its establishment in 1974. After working in both the Operations and Corruption Prevention Departments, he joined the Government proper in 1980 as an Administrative Officer. After a variety of different postings, Mike became the first Director of the Financial Secretary’s Office from 1997 – 2000, and from 1999 – 2000 was appointed concurrently as the first Commissioner for Tourism. In those twin capacities, he was the lead negotiator with the Walt Disney Company which resulted in the building of Hong Kong Disneyland. In July 2000, Mike set up Invest HK, the investment promotion agency established by the Hong Kong Government, and was its first Director-General up to his retirement in December 2008. The agency won several awards during his tenure and was recently recognized as the best investment promotion agency in Asia. Since his retirement, Mike has written a best-selling book (“No Minister & No, Minister: The True Story of HarbourFest”) and has been appointed as an Adjunct Professor by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Mike is married to Fanny Wong, former Political Editor of the South China Morning Post, and now a communications consultant. They have one daughter and one son. Mike also has two adult sons from a previous marriage. Industry Practice Expertise:
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Miranda CheungAssociate Consultant Miranda began her career in the executive search industry in early 2005, by joining Xecutive Group Hong Kong in the capacity of Research Associate. Prior to joining the executive search profession, Ms. Cheung worked for several years in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) as a Sales & Marketing Specialist. During this period, Miranda has been engaged in a variety of executive search mandates, covering middle to senior management roles for a diverse range of industry sectors including Industrial, Consumer & Retail (incl. Luxury & Lifestyle), Logistics and Transportation as well as Life Science & Health Care. Miranda has assisted in numerous successful placements and was consequently promoted to Senior Research Associate. In 2007, Miranda was awarded the “Best Research Associate of the Year 2006” and was promoted to her current position as Associate Consultant. She is now mainly focusing on mandates in the Industrial and Consumer & Retail sectors. Miranda has a Bachelor Degree in Business Management (Major in Marketing) and speaks fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Industry Practice Expertise:
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Robin AdamsConsultant Born and raised in the US, but having spent the past 25 years living and working in Hong Kong and China, Robin successfully blends a diverse résumé, rich personal history, and extensive education. Since arriving in Asia, he has been closely involved with the establishment, management and profitable sale of three successful entrepreneurial businesses operating in Asia across borders. Robin’s experience relative to these enterprises ranged from the development of business plans, marketing and sales strategies, and leadership competencies. He single-handedly hired, managed, developed and motivated staff to achieve the real business goals of these ventures in order that they could be built from scratch into solid and viable ventures subsequently sold at a profit. Leveraging his experience, Robin has been very successful in serving senior-level leaders as an Executive Coach using both English and Mandarin. At Stanton Chase Greater China, he is responsible for building the Financial Services and Industrial Practice Groups, as well as heading up the region’s Diversity and Inclusion Program. Robin is a member of the LGBT community and is well versed in how strong D&I initiatives can improve the bench strength of every business team. Robin’s extensive experience working and living in Asia, as well as 30+ years working in the finance sector enable him to understand completely the needs and challenges of organizations looking for motivated, experienced and skilled leaders. He is very well connected with Heads of Finance throughout Greater China as well as professionals in all areas of the banking and financial services sectors. Industry Practice Expertise:
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Shirley YuAssociate Consultant Shirley started her professional career in the tourism industry. She held customer service position in the Hong Kong Tourism Board as a front-line staff serving tourists to Hong Kong. Shirley then joined the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre responsible for providing professional event planning services to corporate clients. She assisted clients from diverse industries in organizing and planning their business events, such as conferences, seminars and trade exhibitions. She was involved in hosting international functions such as the 88th Lions Club International Convention and WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Stanton Chase International, Shirley was a Search Consultant in a regional executive search company for four years. Apart from her recruitment role, she also provided career-related consultation service and professional advice to both clients and candidates. With her experience in the search business, Shirley has placed middle to senior level executives with various financial institutions in Hong Kong and Asia. She has also successfully completed tailor-made recruitment solutions for local and international companies. Shirley is now focusing on search mandates in the financial services sector. Shirley graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Accountancy from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She attained Foundation Certificate in Life Coaching from Hong Kong University School of Professional and Continuing Education and is also a member of International Association of Coaching. Shirley speaks fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Industry Practice Expertise:
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Sylvia Zuercher Asia Pacific Regional Practice Leader - Industrial Sylvia has been living in Hong Kong since 1984. She started her professional career in 1973 and previously held senior positions in sales, marketing, and management in various fields, both in Hong Kong and the Philippines. In 1984 Sylvia relocated to Hong Kong to take up the position as Consultant of a marketing, consulting and research company. In 1987, she joined Far East Media Hong Kong as Sales Manager, focusing on the Retail Industry. Sylvia subsequently took up the role of General Manager with a Swiss trading company engaged in the export and import business. In 1992, the company was acquired by Asia Network Limited, where she continued her previous activities. Sylvia had gained extensive experience in various fields prior to joining executive search business in 2001. At Stanton Chase Hong Kong, Sylvia is specializing in the areas of Industrial, Consumer Products and Services, and Technology. She successfully delivers first class talents to clients in various industry sectors ranging from capital and industrial equipment/machine manufacturing and systems, chemicals, engineering, instrumentation, paper and packaging, process industries/metallurgy, 4-C industries (communication/ telecommunication, computer, consumer electronics, and car electronics), garment and textiles, luxury goods, trading, distribution and others. A certified user of MPA, OPQ (SHL) and PAPI (Cubics) psychometric assessments, Sylvia is dynamic, likes to accept new challenges and is highly committed to her clients. Sylvia is currently the Regional Practice Leader, Industrial Sector, representing Stanton Chase across Asia Pacific. Born and raised in the Philippines, Sylvia speaks English and Tagalog, in addition to basic German. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Commercial Science, majoring in Management and subsequently obtained a Certificate in Marketing Management sponsored by the HKMA Industry Practice Expertise:
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