In this month’s NextGen series, CGj interviews Emily Ng ACG HKACG, Senior Manager, ESG, ANTA Sports Products Ltd.

What is your current role and what was your career path to this role?

‘I studied finance at university and my first job was in banking as a relationship officer. After working for one to two years, I realised it wasn’t what I wanted, so I went to HKU SPACE to take an executive certificate course in investor relations. After completing the course, I joined my current company – a listed sportswear company – and have been here for nine years. When I first joined, I worked in the Investor Relations Department but later moved to the Sustainability Department, where I am responsible for publishing ESG reports, data management and more.’

When did you first hear the terms ‘company secretary’ and ‘governance’? What was your impression of these terms?

‘I heard the term company secretary from friends. At that time, we had just graduated and were considering further qualifications that we could pursue, such as Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Public Accountant, Financial Risk Manager and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. I asked many people what would be helpful if I wanted to pursue a career in investor relations. A senior colleague suggested that I could obtain a qualification to become a company secretary. She explained that working in investor relations requires frequent interactions with different institutional investors who may not be familiar with Hong Kong’s Listing Rules. This recommendation really made an impression on me.’

What qualities do you think are needed to be a successful governance professional?

‘Company secretaries have to be very detail-orientated as they handle a lot of confidential information. They also need to constantly update their knowledge of the Listing Rules and to stay informed of changes in both the Hong Kong and overseas markets. As regulatory authorities in Hong Kong routinely issue consultation papers and seek opinions, the company secretary needs to be aware of current market developments. Other required skills can be developed through the course of the job.’

What was your chosen route to complete the Institute’s qualifying programme and what advice would you give to people who are considering qualifying as a Chartered Secretary and Chartered Governance Professional?

‘I chose to take the Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme examinations. In the month leading up to the exams, I studied until 3am or 4am every day. Students who decide to take the exams need to be mentally prepared as this requires a significant amount of effort and can take one or two years of groundwork. I would therefore recommend that, if you have no prior knowledge of the subject, you enrol in some short-term courses. For the younger generation who want to enter this field, it would be useful to experience different types of job. There are many aspects to governance and I believe that, while young, you should explore and find a job you enjoy and then develop your career from there.’

As a member of the younger generation, how do you think governance will evolve in the future and would you recommend a career in governance to others?

‘The change I see now is that everyone is making a concerted effort to promote sustainability and ESG, but many companies don’t know how to go about it. Sustainability and ESG are not only beneficial for your own company, they also help transform the entire industry and contribute to global change. So it’s an interesting career because you engage both with companies and with various stakeholders. I believe that as times change, many people – including the general public – will come into contact with governance. Nowadays, many companies are relatively small and it’s possible that an administrative employee could also be responsible for governance-related tasks. One outcome of the pandemic is the increased attention being paid to governance issues by everyone.’
 

在本月的新一代治理栏目中，CGj采访了吴汝怡女士ACG HKACG，安踏体育用品有限公司高级ESG经理。

请问您目前的职位是什么？能告诉我们您的职业发展经历吗？

‘我大学修读金融，第一份工作是银行的客户主任。在工作一、两年之后，我发觉这不是自己想要的东西，于是到香港大学专业进修学院报读投资者关系的行政人员证书课程。完成课程后加入了现职的上市体育用品公司，到现在已经九年。我刚入职时是在投资者关系部门工作，之后转职到可持续发展部门，负责出版 ESG（环境、社会及治理）报告、数据管理等等的工作。’

您第一次听到  ‘公司秘书’或  ‘公司治理’是什么时候？您当时对这些专业名词有什么印象？       

‘我是在朋友口中听到公司秘书的，当时大家刚刚毕业，正考虑可以再考取什么资格，比如特许金融分析师、会计师、金融风险管理师、特许公认会计师。我当时问过很多人的意见，如果我想在投资者关系这行业发展，究竟修读什么会对我有帮助呢？当时有位前辈建议我报读公司秘书有关的课程，她说，因为从事投资者关系需要经常接触不同的机构投资者，他们未必熟悉香港的上市规则。这建议留给我很深的印象。’

您认为成为一名成功的治理专业人士需要具备哪些素质？ 

‘做公司秘书一定要很细心，因为要处理很多机密信息。公司秘书也要随时更新自己对上市规则的知识，了解香港和国外的市场发生了什么变化。香港的监管机构经常发出咨询文件，征求意见，所以公司秘书要知道市场的最新发展。其他需要的技能都可以在工作过程中慢慢训练出来。’

您完成公会的资格计划的路径是怎样的？对于那些有想去成为特许秘书和公司治理师的人，您有什么建议？

‘我选择参加特许公司治理专业资格考试。考试前一个月，我每天温习到清晨三、四点。所以决定要考试的同学要有心理准备，考试需要付出很大努力去温习，可能需要准备一、两年。所以我会建议，如果对这个专业完全不了解，可以先报读一些短期课程。年轻的朋友想入行的话，可以多尝试不同类型的工作。治理有很多层面，我觉得应该要趁年轻多作不同的尝试，找一份自己喜欢的工作，然后发展下去。’

作为年轻一代的一员，您认为  ‘治理’将来会如何发展？您会推荐其他人从事治理方面的工作吗？

‘我现在看到的改变是，大家都很努力推动可持续性与 ESG，但很多公司都不知道从何入手。可持续性与  ESG  不只对你的公司有好处，还可帮助改变整个行业，以及整个世界。所以这个职业挺有趣的，你不只接触到公司，还接触到很多不同持份者。我相信随着时代变化，很多人、包括公众都有可能接触到治理。现在很多公司规模比较小，可能一位行政人员也需要负责与治理有关的工作，而且疫情之后大家对治理也更加关注了。’