Page 38 - Forbes - Asia (October 2019)

ASIA’S POWER BUSINESSWOMEN

JOANNE CHOW, 38 KIM SEUL AH, 36
Chief Strategist and Catalyst, Aussco Founder and CEO, Market Kurly
HONG KONG SOUTH KOREA

Chow has been transforming her family’s 58-year- Kim —who goes by Sophie—left a career

old textile business Aussco by expanding into as a management consultant to tap South
home furnishings and lifestyle, and upgrading its Korea’s growing e-commerce market. Since
technology. Soon after taking over the business launching her grocery delivery platform Mar-
nearly a decade ago, Chow and her brother, ket Kurly in 2015, sales at the Seoul-based
CEO Jackson Chow, established an R&D and company have grown more than 50 times to
consulting arm focused on textile innovation 156 billion won ($140 million). Touted in local
called InDHouse. “We were dedicated to growing media as a must-have app for upwardly mo-
a manufacturing business despite the fact that bile moms, Market Kurly now has more than
manufacturing was in decline,” she says. The unit 2 million subscribers, equivalent to a fifth of
advises clients on research, design and sampling. Seoul’s population. One of its most popular
Chow says InDHouse has clients such as Adidas features is a dawn delivery service, in which
and Ted Baker. Chow also heads Aussco’s retail orders placed before 11 p.m. are delivered
and distribution arm, A Matter of Design, which before 7 a.m. the next day. Demand has
owns the franchise for retailers BoConcept in climbed so fast the company now sees as
Hong Kong and Tom Dixon in Greater China. It much as 30,000 to 40,000 orders per day.
also advises on sales, marketing and logistics Kim earned a bachelor’s degree in political
for interior designers, architects and property science from Wellesley College in Mas-
developers. —Pamela Ambler sachusetts before stints at Goldman Sachs,
McKinsey, Temasek and Bain. Her advice for
women business leaders: “Dream big, act
small!” —Jihyun Park

NINA D. AGUAS, 66
Executive Chairman,
Insular Life Assurance Company
PHILIPPINES

After 30 years in top management posi-
tions in Asia, Australia and North America
for big international banks such as ANZ
and Citigroup, Aguas last year took over
as executive chairman of the Philippines’
first local life insurance company. Her top
challenge is to popularize life insurance in
a country where only 4% of the popula-
tion has it. “A life insurance policy is one CHOW: COURTESY OF AUSSCO, KIM: COURTESY OF MARKET KURLY, AGUAS: COURTESY OF INSULAR LIFE
of the most prized gifts one can give one’s
family and loved ones,” says Aguas. Under
her leadership, the 109-year-old company
saw premium income in 2018 rise 18% to
14 billion pesos ($267 million). In March,
Aguas, in partnership with the World
Bank, spearheaded a program called InLife
Sheroes to educate Filipino women on
issues such as financial literacy and health.
She also helped transform the company’s
digital capabilities to provide better access
to insurance and investment products.
—Sunshine Lichauco de Leon

Ensuring a sustainable future

for your wealth today

Issued by HSBC Holdings plc on behalf of HSBC group members. Private banking is carried out internationally by different HSBC group members in accordance with local regulatory requirements, and in the US by HSBC Bank USA N.A. – Member FDIC. See website for further details.