Asia Pioneer Entertainment’s Vicky Chan tells IAG about her education in the Macau gaming industry and recent recognition as one of its rising stars.
Vicky Chan was the only woman named as one of five “Best Industry Rising Stars” at the 2019 G2E Asia Awards, a fact that already sets her apart in the Macau gaming industry.
Assistant General Manager – Corporate Sales and Marketing at Asia Pioneer Entertainment (APE), she was involved in the company’s 2017 Initial Public Offering as well as being central to its growth in the nearly two years since. IAG sat down with Vicky to find out a little bit more.
Oscar Guijarro: Can you tell us a bit about your background?
Vicky Chan: I grew up in Macau and studied at the Macao University of Science and Technology. I almost haven’t left Macau in my entire life except for some brief travelling. My mother was manager of a tailoring company in the late 1980s but she decided to give up her career and became a full-time housewife for a few years after having me and my brother. That time was also the most wonderful childhood memory for both of us.
When I was 12 my parents decided to move the family to America to stay nearby their siblings, then a year later we moved back to Macau for some reason.
OG: What made you start working in the gaming sector?
VC: After my graduation in Marketing some of my friends started to join the manufacturers in the gaming industry. That’s how I knew about the distribution and manufacturing business. At that time, Herman Ng (CEO and Executive Director of APE) was hiring sales people, so I gave it a try. It was an amazing experience.
OG: What do you enjoy most about the industry?
VC: The people – they are so nice and professional. When you ask them questions they are open to answering. That gave me a lot of chances to learn from zero. Whenever you want to get some information on a market, such as, “Do I do cold call or go straight to the casino?” people are always welcoming and happy to explain what the market is like.
The professional people in the industry are all nice and willing to give good advice. I enjoy problem solving for the company and customers and providing the right products to the right company. I’ve learnt a lot from my work but it will not be the end.
In this industry you always have to learn new products and new technology – that’s the most interesting part of it.
OG: Run us through a normal workday for Vicky Chan.
VC: I always try to start with some meetings in the morning if possible. After that, I prefer to go back to the office, work on some proposals, planning, making some forecasts and attending management meetings.
After work I’d rather stay home with my kid. She’s only one-and-a-half years old so it is always a fun time to play with her. It’s tiring after work but when I come back home and play with her it is the best stress release of the day.
OG: What do you like to do when you are not working?
VC: I have always liked to travel a lot, especially before I had my family. I used to travel almost six times a year. But now I have settled down so I prefer to spend time with my daughter and be with my parents more because they are getting older and it’s important for me to stay with them.
OG: You were named one of the Best Industry Rising Stars at the G2E Asia Awards in 2019. Can you describe what it felt like?
VC: I felt so surprised because there were so many professionals around and I didn’t think I could be one of the winners. I was so proud because I was the only lady in the category. And I must say thank you to the judges – some of them are legends of the industry that I know and have asked for advice on how to build up sales, how to sell more products.
OG: As a Macau local, what do you believe have been the biggest changes to the city over the past 15 or 20 years?
VC: Macau has really changed a lot. We have really gone to an international standard. Macau people were not really internationally minded, but now many people can speak English and they like to travel around the world. On the other hand, it’s too crowded and the transportation is too messy. I would prefer the old days in Macau when it comes to traffic.
