T&M-DDP Executive Forum Series: TRIGGER by Dr. Augustine CHOW, Chairman of Harmony Asset Management Limited

Dual Degree Program in Technology and Management (T&M-DDP) invited Dr. Augustine CHOW, Chairman of Harmony Asset Management Limited, to share how to create “Trigger” to innovate various aspects of life and business world at the Executive Forum with over 100 students in Spring term of 2018.

Dr. CHOW is a seasoned executive with over two hundred companies of operational and investment experience, including M&A, private equity and turnaround cases in Asia. He oversaw over 30 successful IPOs and has held positions as Chairman, CEO and Director in more than 20 listed companies in Hong Kong and other countries.

Dr. CHOW described the point of creative innovation as “Trigger”.  “Trigger” is any stimulus that reshapes our thoughts and actions. It can create behaviour that lasts and is contagious.  He shared how to create “Trigger” with real life examples by Thinking Differently, the Idea of Convenience and Convergence of Technology. He thought understanding the ever-changing markets and customers was important and challenging as you did not do anything wrong, but you still might lose, quoted from Mr. Stephen ELOP, the former CEO of Nokia.  Nokia was once the largest mobile phone company 10 years ago but acquired by Microsoft after losing the leading role in the market. Dr. CHOW further explained a smart trigger should carry the characteristics of Stretch, Make believe, Accelerate, Ridiculous and Timeless.

Dr. CHOW took Biovotion as an good example of trigger. Biovotion aims at promoting health, preventing deterioration and managing disease by offering complete end-to-end solutions with a medical-grade physiological monitoring at the core which is a wearable sensor that monitors continuous and non-invasively providing medical grade data even under motion. The company describes it as a “mini-hospital on the upper arm”.

Dr. CHOW encouraged student to be the “Trigger” of their own life.  One day, they may disrupt the world with their trigger.

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science.  HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking.  HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2019.  Its graduates were ranked 16th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global University Employability Survey 2018.

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