The foundation of every successful event lies in the Company’s empowerment of each team member, inspiring and motivating them to unleash their creativity and achieve collective success. Connections invited the award-winning team members from the CEO Award 2022, to share with us their journey in advancing the Company’s development in sustainability and Customer-Centricity.

Viki Du, Senior Manager – Sustainability, shed light on the increasing emphasis corporates are placing on sustainability. She put it concisely that sustainability not only benefits our future generations but also has a direct impact on our lives.

With an academic background in Environmental Engineering, Viki is passionate about empowering individuals to actively participate in sustainability initiatives. Since joining Hang Lung in 2021, she has been entrusted with various projects. She was nominated by her supervisor and elected as the Co-Chair for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Shanghai Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) topical forum in Shanghai. During the two-year term period, she has participated in various ULI ESG events and conferences, where she had the privilege to moderate the ESG panel discussion.

Viki also successfully supported her supervisor on coordinating the inaugural Real Estate and Climate Forum within a month after the signing of the sustainability partnership agreement between Hang Lung and LVMH Group. Following the event, Viki underscored the importance of implementing a clear framework and providing comprehensive training to empower employees at all levels to join the journey towards achieving progress in sustainability together to the end of 2025.

Eva Li, Senior Manager — Marketing Department, Grand Gateway 66, Shanghai, has got extensive experience in planning and rolling out flagship events, featuring renowned figures like Alicia Keys. Following her semester as an exchange student in Paris during her MBA studies at Fudan University, Eva underwent a transformative experience that instilled in her a profound perspective of the value of resilience, effective communication, and collaboration.

Her expanded perspective significantly enriches the events she curates. Highlighting that sustainability has become a major focus for every company, Eva believes that while some may perceive the consumer-driven nature of mall events as conflicting with the concept of sustainability, she sees the true essence of sustainability not in curtailing consumption but advocating a sustainable lifestyle.

She shared the notable example of Grand Gateway 66’s exclusive collaboration with Disney for the “Pixar Fluffy Festival” last winter. After the event, as suggested by the management team, the Pixar toys used as decorations, along with over 1,000 items given by the HOUSE 66 members were donated to underprivileged children in Shanxi, as a way to demonstrate how resources can be sustainably utilized as the mall joined hands with customers to share festive joy with the wider community. The event also expanded to other Hang Lung malls, with Heartland 66 in Wuhan serving as the inaugural pilot.

Upon learning that the “Pixar Fluffy Festival” would be replicated at the mall of Heartland 66, Janet Zhou, Manager – Marketing Department, Heartland 66, Wuhan, recognized that a mere copy-and-paste approach would not suffice. Understanding the necessity for innovative thinking, the team embarked on a mission to ensure the event’s resounding success.

Janet elaborated on their strategic approach, explaining how they skillfully preserved the essence of the event while infusing it with a breath of fresh air, such as by integrating glass stickers throughout the mall and creating a mesmerizing luminous arch installation.

The results were remarkable, as the mall witnessed a 30% increase in footfall over the span of a month. Janet reflected, “the local team’s exposure and network naturally fell short of Shanghai’s due to the disparity in city prominence. However, with our management team’s support, we were empowered to tap into some of Shanghai’s premium resources.”