Life in Hong Kong

“With the momentum only gathering pace and an expanding team, there’s no time to take our foot off the gas.”

Summing up 12 months may seem like a breeze in comparison to the five year journey it took Ryder to establish itself as an international practice, but the opportunities, challenges and excitement we’ve been presented with, and worked hard for, are enough to get a little side tracked along the way.

As a team we’ve knitted together and doubled in size, now standing at 17 people with plans for a larger office.

It was around the three or four month mark when a turning point felt particularly significant, people began approaching us rather than effort being solely one sided.

Following this, and as work commenced on Kowloon East Regional Police Headquarters, we were thrilled to learn we had secured a life sciences project – a major milestone in the development of Ryder as our first significant international project in our own right.

Though our successes haven’t been without a few challenges along the way – perhaps most significantly learning to adapt to local laws and regulations, and balancing our presence in the Hong Kong environment with a natural urge for western flair and delivery.  Clients have listened but constructively challenged our ideas, and in turn caused us to be more productive.  The Ryder DNA has been encapsulated.

Looking ahead, as we continue to cement our position in the Asian market and integrate with the Hong Kong community, we aim to improve our connectivity with our Technologies group in the UK, nurture relationships with new clients and ultimately not rest on our laurels.

With a quiet confidence, we don’t want to bite off more than we can chew, but at the same time we know we are more than capable of excelling in our field – we’re able to be more selective with our work.

The originally posed question “how do you feel about flying the flag for Ryder in Hong Kong?” is no longer a daunting prospect, but one we can allow ourselves to comfortably reflect on.  It’s uplifting to be perceived as a respected practice outside of the Ryder UK centricity and with a maturing team along with a number of opportunities on the horizon, we look forward to the future with great excitement.