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Min Chun: Work hard, play hard

Can you introduce yourself and your background?

I was born and raised in Seoul, Korea until I was 13 years old, around Grade 5 or 6. I moved to Hong Kong and finished high school there. Then, I studied in the States at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and also at the International College of Hotel Management (ICHM) in Adelaide in Australia. After graduation, I lived in Japan for six months and then worked in Korea, Hong Kong and now in China. I worked in many different industries. As an hotelier, I worked in rooms division in Sofitel Melbourne Australia, F&B in Hong Kong Sheraton, Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) Hotel in Hong Kong so I guess I’m very customer service minded and oriented. I dealt with customers and VIPs worldwide. My second industry was an HK-based manufacturing company, where I handled many accounts as a marketing executive. From quotations to issuing POs, PIs, following up orders, shipments, chasing payments and so on. My third industry was a Korean fashion company, where I worked as a merchandiser, and did some retail, wholesale and international trade. From all the work and living experiences in different industries and cultures, I gained a lot of understanding regarding work ethics, business models, cultural differences, being streetwise and so on. Also, I did some consulting for Korean SMEs who wanted to enter China market before joining Daxue as well.

What are you doing for Daxue Consulting?

As a project leader, I have two major duties. One is handling the research requests and issuing proposals and research design to the prospect.  The other major duty is what comes after signing the project. This is the actual execution of the project, and I ensure that the project is on course regarding timeline and data collection. I then work daily with Chinese Project Managers.

What recent project did you work on? Do you have a specific sector you like to work on? Can you quote some clients in this sector?

Currently working on 3 projects, one grocery retailer wanting to enter China’s e-commerce, Apex (a Bangladesh company who wants to learn the China’s processed food market), and Diletto (a Chinese start-up company who wants to create a premium luxury fashion brand in the scarf segment). My two sectors of specialization are the F&B sector and new technologies.

What recent news did catch your eye in China?

G20 held in Hangzhou and how all the top leaders visited Alibaba. How Jack Ma wants to expand e-commerce globally and bring cross-border e-commerce available to the Chinese consumers with goods from Europe, Australia and so on.

Any hobby in Shanghai? Where would be your first choice for a dinner or a party in Shanghai?

I used to play soccer but I became too lazy. I would say that my hobby now is to find nice and new places for brunch and coffee with my girlfriend. The first choice for dinner would depend on what cuisine. For Italian food, I would choose D.O.C, for Japanese food, I would go to small little izakaya restaurants (Japanese informal gastropub) in Zhong Shan Park area, and for Korean food, it would be in BenJia in Hongquan road. For parties, when I have visitors I take them to the VUE bar at the bund Hyatt, and then for clubbing at the Apartment, Shelter, and Arkham in that order.

Do you have a personal motto?

Work hard play hard.