Intermediary between worlds

Logistics is largely conservative and male – there’s another way too, though. Kristy Guo, originally from China, has been working in Australia for a long time now, and is at home in both worlds. She has decades of experience in various logistics companies, which she has used to establish a new network. She spoke to Christian Doepgen at the Fiata World Congress In Brussels recently.

Kristy, how did your multifaceted journey into logistics begin?

After graduating from school I found my first job in a logistics company in Shenzhen, at the age of 17. Through my work in documentation and customs I became involved in operations. The company’s three owners then transferred me to Hong Kong, so that I could focus more on international business.

 

What languages do you speak?

I speak Cantonese, which is prevalent in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, Mandarin, which is spoken by about 70% of all Chinese, as well as English, of course, the West’s business lingua franca. Perhaps my detailed knowledge of Chinese mentalities is a more important networking asset, however.

 

 

Was the move to Hong Kong a stepping stone for your next stop?

My first job there was in the international business development division of the HLS group. I chose not to accept its offer to become a trade manager and head of the development department, due to my personal development plans. I then moved to Australia and took a job as product manager with Toll instead.

 

You held other positions too, didn’t you?

Yes. At DB Schenker I gained more than two years of experience in other logistics fields. As head of trade I had an exciting role to fill, and there was a question of working in Singapore.

 

What’s your impression of the industry?

It’s a fascinating environment – but I was frequently the only female manager, and the youngest one at that. That was also one of the triggers that prompted me to strike out on my own path and launch a new network.

 

How did you hone your approach?

The idea has grown over fifteen years. After 20 years of operational commitment in the industry I had the impression that I could develop something new. It’s always been my gift to bring a broad variety of people together – even where silo thinking or company politics prevail. The idea of an own network as a platform arose after I analysed existing concepts.

 

 

So what’s the principal idea behind the Signature Global Network (SGN)?

We’re led by three guiding principles. First of all, the quality of the partners in the network takes precedence over purely quantitative considerations. We select partners in a rigorous way that emphasises their will and their ability to innovate, amongst other factors.

 

 

What organisational criteria has SGN defined for the network?

We select companies with unique criteria and restrict their number in each region, depending on trade. Where there’s more trade we allocate five partners to one city; otherwise we limit them to three to five partners per country.

 

 

You’ve now been active for two years. In which regions are you present?

We’re continuing to expand from Southeast Asia, where we already have a strong presence. We’ll be completing our significant expansion in Europe and in the USA after this ongoing Fiata World Congress. In Africa, we have partners that are active in Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt, amongst various other places. In Central and South America we cover Mexico, most Central American countries as well as Brazil.

 

What are the benefits of being a member of the SGN?

You find yourself in a solid network with reliable managers and a variety of services. Our ‘SGN Digital Marketing and Creative Service’, for example, supports brand management tools. Business coaches provide support through the ‘Signature Growth Academy’; our Overseas Development Management Expert course (ODME) is aimed at sales and development managers who want to strengthen their business through partners overseas.

 

 

How do members come together?

Mainly at our annual meetings. We last met in Vietnam; on 19 – 21 February 2024 we’re due to meet again in the Philippines.

 

 

What’s your motto?

By lifting others, we rise.