GreySpark started eight years ago in London, with five founding Partners, a handful of consultants and ambitious plans. Only three years later, we were able to make our growing company an international one with an office in Hong Kong. We take a look back at the office’s early days and share what made the Hong Kong business a success.
Andrew McLachlan reflects on the early days of the Hong Kong office…
Moving to Hong Kong to set up our business gave me a deep understanding of what a ‘start up’ really is. GreySpark had no legacy business in the APAC region as we had only been a company for a couple of years and detailed market research was not a luxury we were able to carry out before I left. So when I first arrived in Hong Kong, I had to find both a flat and an office, open a personal and company bank account and buy a phone so I could start to call prospects. Starting from zero with no colleagues was definitely challenging but more importantly, exciting.
Slowly, we began growing and shaping the Hong Kong office into the thriving hub it is today. We hired a local HR and recruitment expert who was responsible for introducing the company to potential clients and attracting talent to GreySpark. Investing in our recruitment allowed us to ensure that we were hiring some of the top talent in the region and to establish a strong foundation.
After six months, we transferred a Business Development Manager from London to Hong Kong who knew our business inside out and could hit the ground running, explaining our service offerings and benefits to new clients. Our targeted approach allowed us to expand our client base with global and local clients alike. By offering the same services and solutions that we did in London, we ensured that our Hong Kong clients were able to receive the full breadth of our IP and experience. Being a knowledge based consultancy allowed us to replicate the successful projects we had delivered in Europe and deliver similar eTrading and risk projects in the APAC region.
…and Connie Ng shares how it has grown.
For past three years the team and I have strived to build a business that we can all be proud of.
The people who have stayed with us over the years have not only grown with the company, but have also become an integral pillar to who we are today. Their dedication and determination has allowed us to win projects both locally and globally. From Recruitment through to Sales and Delivery, each department has been a vital component to our growth year on year. I am confident that we will continue to succeed and expand our presence in Asia Pacific. Here’s to the next five years!
