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Lau Tik Wah, Eva
Lau Tik Wah, Eva
Director, Champion Industrial Co.,Ltd.
Sex: Female Birthyear: c.1950s Age at Interview: 50-60 Education: University Occupation: Industrialist Theme: Industry In 1956, Lau Bin founded the Rainbow Industrial Ltd, which manufactured PVC-sheet products in a tenement building on Soy Street, Mongkok. Lau Bin was able to purchase a German-made High Frequency Heat Sealing Machine with the help of the German Embassy. The machine was finally assembled after a month, and it was the first of its kind in Hong Kong. The then young Lau Tik Wah was amazed and impressed by this new machine.
Title Childhood memory: ‘I truly remembered that machine’. Date 24/01/2011 Subject Industry Duration 41s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. LKF-LDW-HLT-001 When Lau Tik Wah joined Champion Industrial Co. Ltd., her father intended to appoint her as a secretary. Hoping to work in design and in management to formulate the company’s plans, she refused the offer. So her father made her his personal assistant and brought her along to meet clients. The title on her business card was Assistant to Managing Director.
Title Determination of takeover: ‘I wouldn’t be your secretary upon my return. I am ready to be your assistant.’ Date 24/01/2011 Subject industry Duration 2m Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. LKF-LDW-HLT-002 After Lau Tik Wah completed her study in the USA and came back to Hong Kong, she wanted to improve business results through raising product quality and workplace efficiency. She disliked complacency of her staff. When Lau Tik Wah first joined the company, she often lost her temper and quarrelled with the factory managers. She would threaten to leave her job because her father wouldn’t fire the workers who escaped from work.
Title Eager to reform: ‘A person's tolerance is limited.’ Subject industry Duration 1m18s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. LKF-LDW-HLT-003 In 1993, Mr. Kong retired and the Lau family bought his shares. This completed the succession between the old and the new generations. During the transition, a senior and a junior staff would work together and shared the same post. Lau Tik Wah believed this was an interesting phenomenon. The profit made by the company in those days could afford having ‘double staff’.
Title A long evolution: ‘Two people are responsible to do the same thing.’ Date 24/01/2011 Subject industry Duration 1m34s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. LKF-LDW-HLT-004 The partnership between Champion and the French was not without twists and turns. The French company’s marketing department was not willing to endorse the co-operation because they looked down on the educational level of the Chinese. Lau Tik Wah was denied by the French company’s senior management when she first went to France. But she persisted and waited patiently inside their office. This moved the marketing department head.
Title Business trip to Europe: ‘Doesn’t matter. I will wait until he is ready.’ Date 24/01/2011 Subject industry Duration 1m19s Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. LKF-LDW-HLT-005 Looking back at her years of career, Lau Tik Wah thought she was an all-round business person. She controlled the company’s development on the macro level, and was conversant in design, production, sales, among other business areas. She was proud of the design team that she built because the team members were professional and kept the company’s overall welfare on their minds.
Title An all-round business person: ‘I am quite diversified’. Subject industry Duration 1m Language Cantonese Material Type Audio Collection Oral History Archives Repository Hong Kong Memory Project Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project Accession No. LKF-LDW-HLT-006