Greater Bay Area Growth Director
Most Christmases, you’ll find Wendy and her family celebrating with the residents of the non-profit Sowers Action children’s home in the Chinese province of Yunnan, an annual tradition that her own children has grown up with since 2015.
Early childhood education is a cause that’s close to Wendy’s heart. Having been raised in Fujian province she says she has experienced how empowering education and knowledge can be first-hand.
“Education really has changed me and my life, and opened up many opportunities.”
After graduating in Accounting from the University of Hong Kong, Wendy was thrilled to start her career at a private equity firm, a tenure which was short-lived, and then becoming a business valuer at independent valuer Sallmanns (now a part of JLL) in 2000.
“My first job made me question my value at the company. It made me realise that having a good job is not a given and that I should feel grateful. Later transitioning into a sales role at Sallmanns helped me build resilience. Any adversity that you experience in a lesson in life,” she says.
“For me, being inclusive starts from one self, and stepping outside and thinking from someone else’s perspective. I really appreciate that our people culture at JLL cultivates greater inclusion and are aligned with my own values.”
Wendy laughingly recalls an exciting and difficult first project valuing a cemetery in Qingyuan in Guangdong Province.
She is now responsible for leading business valuation projects across Greater China for JLL’s valuation and advisory services with other senior leaders, and driving business growth in the Greater Bay Area. As of 2020, JLL’s valuation and advisory services account for around 40% of valuations related to the Hong Kong IPO market.
“Our hope and aim is to provide a one-shop-stop on valuation for all assets and to become a trusted advisor to our clients,” she says.
Wendy keeps herself busy in other endeavours at the firm as the Greater China chair for diversity and inclusion (D&I) and a JLL mentor for the Women’s Foundation Mentoring Programme and similar initiatives internally. A focus for D&I in 2021 is to extend inclusion to people of difference.
With her many professional and personal interests, how does she maintain in good spirits at work and during personal time? Since 2015, she begins her day with 30 minutes of mediation every morning and on some occasions, a short walk before work.
“It’s about giving myself some self-time. I can’t think of a better way to do so by being in nature.”
Wendy and her daughter brave the cold to visit children in Yunnan.