T&M-DDP Executive Forum Series: Century-long Organization Vs Startup by Mr Raymond Ngai, Head of IT Infrastructure and Operation Services, The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Dual Degree Program in Technology and Management (T&M-DDP) invited Mr. Raymond NGAI, Head of IT Infrastructure and Operation Services, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), to share his IT professional career at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, a 130 year old organization, and insights as an angel investor at the Executive Forum on 24 February 2017 with over 100 students.

Raymond is a seasoned IT executive with over 18 years in the information technology industry. He shared how HKJC’s integral positioning as the largest local community donor supporting 215 charity organizations with a record of HK$3.9 billion in 2015/16, and is ranked sixth in the World Charity Index and first in Asia.  HKJC is also the largest tax payer with HK$20.9 billion in tax and duties last year.

Raymond manages a team of 100+ staff to keep HKJC operation smooth with 99.99% uptime, and helps new startups as an angle investor in his spare time. Raymond serves both roles with passion.  Raymond said “If there is passion, there will be will. If there is will, there will be a way to achieve what you need and contribute to the company.” 

Talking about job hunting tips, Raymond encouraged students not to only focus on what they want but also identify what value they could bring to the company. That will become a win-win situation for both employees and employers. 

As an angle investor, Raymond has been approached by many innovators and dreamers.  His first advice is to be an optimist.  To start a startup means facing tons of failures and obstacles, stay optimistic and solve problems with persistence is the way to success. Raymond also shared what characteristics and personalities were essential for young leaders to establish startups, a valuable decision framework for helping youngsters decide when they are ready to venture out as an entrepreneur.