On April 23, we were delighted to have MSc IM alumnus William IP, Managing Director of Carousell Hong Kong to join us at the inaugural Ideas Lunch Series – an online lunchtime sharing session featuring successful alumni from different industries. The event was moderated by Professor Sophie FAN, Assistant Professor from the Department of Marketing. The event attracted over 150 registrants and sparked a rewarding discussion about online marketplaces.
Carousell is one of the fastest growing online classifieds marketplaces in Asia. With a huge user base and easy-to-use tools, the platform creates endless possibilities for local communities to thrive amid the steadily changing landscape of e-commerce and beyond.
One of Carousell’s milestones is to become the preferred app for consumers’ product and service needs as an integral part of their day-to-day lives. The marketplace has seen success with continued efforts to expand its product categories and improve user experiences. According to Similarweb, a traffic analysis and ranking company, Carousell has become one of the most popular mobile classifieds apps among Hong Kong consumers. On the community side, Carousell offers free ads to NGOs to increase traffic and branding impact, as part of supporting meaningful causes.
With years of experience running tech companies including PayPal Hong Kong and CISCO, William shared his own unique views on strategy. He believed that strategies could be formulated with a flexible balance, such as growth vs. profitability and planning vs. execution. He also shared useful tips on maintaining employee motivation and achieving “grand” goals.
For the online retail industry, William pointed out that the key to grow under unpredictable times and beyond was to stay agile and flexible to opportunities that foster online solutions. The next step could be focused on expanding audience reach.
Responding to questions on how he knew he had made the right decisions, William replied with his signature humor and wit. “The honest answer is you never know… In business, I leave that question to historians. Our team just pour our hearts and efforts into the work we deem is right at that particular moment.”
On career advice, William said, “The key is to identify your own strengths and weaknesses. The even more important thing is to embrace them, for this is the only way to find your next challenge.” William mentioned he was a strong believer in “leading” instead of “managing” people. “Business leaders need to rely on people to do things that they have no idea about and to motivate the team. It takes a lot of time and dedication.”
Check out our alumni event page for more exciting events to come!