Stephen Kwan

I have been appointed to lead two teams. One team is responsible for supervising product development and management related to smart building and smart home solutions for residential property developers. The other team focuses on developing STEM education products and training in Hong Kong.

• As the HKT Limited representative for the Adopters Member of CSA (CSA-IOT - Connectivity Standards Alliance), lead the development, testing, certification, and go-to-market for the smart home product that adopts the new specification of IoT smart home, MATTER (Build with Matter | Smart Home Device Solution - CSA-IOT).
• Partner with Smart Home IoT device manufacturers, such as MOES, AQARA, Tuyu, and Schneider Electric, to provide market-driven solutions with MATTER specifications for property developers.
• Partner with different training providers and lead the team to develop STEM, Robotic, and AI education customized training to individual Primary & Secondary schools.
• Partner with third-party interior designers bidding on STEM room, advanced classroom, and renovation projects for schools, which provide a teaching & learning technology-driven solution.

I have further expanded my scope, including launching the new online shopping platform to boost sales of consumer electronics products and extending both the brand and product portfolio of the computer distribution trading business.

• Established and led both the strategic product development & online marketing teams to support the new online shopping platform.
• Partnered with major brand owners, such as Acer, Asus, and Lenovo, to expand the distribution business to local computer malls and retail chain stores. Also leveraged the costing advantage to support the online shopping business.
• Leveraging the partnership with the major brand owner, I further expanded the distribution business to include international trading worth over 200 million dollars a year.

I have accepted the new challenge of supporting the newly launched Smart Living service, which encompasses home automation, home networking, home security, and smart consumer electronics products.

• Partnered with various vendors of smart home solutions, such as Philips Hue and Belkin WEMO, and launched the Smart Living Do-It-Yourself business.
• Led a team of consumer electronics specialists to merchandise the Smart Gadget portfolio, which generated a 200% increase in traffic for HKT's own retail stores.
• Successfully introduced Hardware as a Service (HaaS) model offering a monthly rental service for Wi-Fi routers to broadband Internet subscribers, boosting their ARPU by 150%.
• Coordinated across various business units and secured the contract as the second Apple Education Reseller in Hong Kong, which increased HKT Education revenue by 200% year over year.

I was promoted to expand the scope of product development to mobile & cloud technologies, including launching the integrated broadband, Wi-Fi, and mobile network services.

• Co-developed the world's first Bridge-Router-Modem with ZTE and Huawei, telecom equipment manufacturers, a bespoke hybrid device that provides Internet connection, IPTV access, Wi-Fi connectivity, and IP telephony. This innovation has significantly improved the ARPU and facilitated the acquisition of new broadband Internet subscribers.
• Launched the first in Hong Kong to automatically switch between Wi-Fi hotspots and 3G mobile connectivity for users, offering a unified wireless broadband on-the-go solution, Netvigator Everywhere.
• Deployed UHub services, the first cloud storage service in Hong Kong, and also partnered with digital photo printing services, which provide a one-stop solution of phone management & printing.
• Launched the Multi-Use Broadband Service, which provides multiple, independent, dedicated internet bandwidth from a single fiber connection, allowing users to separate traffic for different devices or applications.

I was promoted to lead key product development projects, including Fiber-to-the-Home Internet broadband services, which have resulted in an increase of subscribers.

• The projects include executing Internet Services Provider platform upgrade projects for the first time deployment by multiple fiber technology suppliers.
• Launched the company’s new technology cross-network projects, such as VoIP and Fixed Mobile Convergence projects.
• Strategic Alliance program with ICQ on internet SMS service.

Based on sales and marketing experience from PCCW IMS Internet service, I have taken up new challenges and led a team of 6 to carry out product development projects for Internet Service and upgrade the Internet Services Provider platform.

• The projects include executing multi-million-dollar Internet Services Provider platform upgrade projects that negotiated & closely worked with telecommunication equipment manufacturers, Huawei & ZTE.
• Deployed the first Wi-Fi Hotspot services in Asia with 200 location partners of retail outlets at Swire Properties, Pacific Coffee, Delifrance, Starbucks, and telephone booths.
• In-flight email program with Cathay Pacific Airways.

My role as Marketing Manager is to plan and implement a marketing plan, monitor marketing spend of the annual marketing budget, and ensure the Annual business targets will be met. I have led a marketing team of 3 to execute marketing launches for Internet services of PCCW IMS Limited, which is branded as Netvigator.

• Market the first anti-spam and anti-virus solutions on email service in Hong Kong.
• Service launch on Hong Kong first video chat and digital album services.
• Conduct a marketing campaign for innovative multiple user Internat access and parental control services.

After managing my own business for several years, I accepted a new challenge by joining an MNC. I became a Senior Account Manager at Hong Kong Telecom IMS Limited to meet business targets for Interactive TV and Internet services to major clients.

• Key chain store accounts, including Fortress, JOS, and computer retail stores.
• Vendor management, such as COMPAQ and PACKARD BELL.
• Manage the direct sales team of 10 to achieve the assigned business targets.

I started my own business by licensing a multinational franchise, Futurekids, which offers computer education training for children and young people in Hong Kong.

• Set up operations for a learning center in Shatin with concurrent users of 20.
• Set up a primary and high school in-house computer training program for teachers.
• Manage training classes for children, youngsters of 100 students per month.
• The operation has become profitable after 10 months of operations and has become Futurekids best-performing franchise.
• Attracted investment and company buyout in Dec 1998.

I returned from the US in 1994 and started exploring the garment industry, working for a US-based company that produced and exported designer brand swimwear and undergarments, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, and Guess.

• Coordinate logistics for importing raw materials and exporting finished goods between China and Hong Kong.
• Producing merchandising material locally to reduce manufacturing costs with imported accessories.