Public relations executive Anne Forrest fulfilled her career dreams in Hong Kong, where entrepreneurial spirit is rewarded

Anne Forrest came to Hong Kong as an expat wife and mother, armed with little work experience but a new degree and a clear goal in mind. Hong Kong provided openings she would never have dreamed possible in her home town in the US, and she went on to become one of the most influential corporate communications executives in Hong Kong. Today, as non-executive chairman for Asia of Golin/Harris International, the global public relations firm that acquired her company in 2000, she tells how "the land of opportunity" made it happen. 

"When I arrived in 1981 as an expat wife with three of my six children, I had been working in public relations in a state-run child welfare agency in Wilmington, Delaware. I had also just graduated from university, having gone back to get a degree in communications.

At the time, Hong Kong had just started to take off, it being just three years after China's 'open door' policy was launched. I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. But as I looked around (for work), I was told by the few PR firms that agreed to meet me that it would be very hard to get a job. They said I didn't know the business practices, I didn't know the media - and they were right. However, I soon got a job with the American Chamber of Commerce to set up their public relations department.

It was a part-time job and quite lowly paid, but it gave me the opportunity to get to know more about business issues in Hong Kong. At the same time, I gained experience working with local and international media.

In 1983, I had decided to make my permanent home in Hong Kong and needed to get a full-time job. I saw an ad in the paper for Hill & Knowlton - one of the top global PR firms - and did something I would never have had the courage to do in the US: I applied. I thought that as an older woman, lacking experience, I wouldn't have had a chance. But I got the job. Within two years I was managing director of what was then the fifth largest Hill & Knowlton office worldwide.

Land of entrepreneurs

This is what makes Hong Kong special. It really is the land of opportunity, even though that might sound strange coming from an American. It is also a land of entrepreneurs. One of the first things I learned is that inside the heart of almost every Hong Kong person is the spirit of an entrepreneur. Around 90 per cent of Hong Kong companies are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and consequently when people come here from other countries, if they have a spark of gumption in them, they will find opportunity here. And hard work is rewarded. My being made managing director at Hill & Knowlton, proof of how quickly one is able to climb the career ladder and leapfrog into management positions here.

In 1993 I founded Forrest International Limited, my own corporate affairs practice. I had worked with some of the largest Hong Kong public companies and with many Western multinationals, on some of the most exciting corporate events and issues in Asia. I also got on well with senior Chinese entrepreneurs. Even though I didn't take any clients with me, because of Hong Kong networking, local business people soon contacted me.

It is very easy to set up a business here, and easy to maintain it. Compared to other places in the region, Hong Kong is a paradise for running a business. It is so oriented to SMEs, and the energy, commitment and willingness of the local workforce has no equal.

I started the company with just one assistant, and by 1995 we were doing work in Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. We had opened an office in Singapore, and had revenue of up around HK$10 million (US$1.3 million).

In 2000, the firm was acquired by Golin/Harris International Limited, headquartered in Chicago, and one of the world's 10 largest public relations firms. I stayed on as managing director for Asia and a member of the international board of directors, then later non-executive chairman for Asia.

Just like it has so many times before, Hong Kong today is in the process of reinventing itself. There is spirited public debate on just about every issue, and this is what makes Hong Kong tick.

When an idea comes along, Hong Kong comes alive. I've seen it happen so many times. That's why Hong Kong is the most exciting place to do business in the world."

Related link:
Golin/Harris International www.golinharris.com