Embracing change for success

Guy Moore has spent almost two decades on the Swire Management Programme, and he recently moved from Swire Coca-Cola to Swire Properties to take up the role of Assistant General Manager, Taikoo Place. Here, we discover some of the differences and challenges he’s encountered while going from one industry to another. We also hear about the leadership qualities that can help when adapting to a new role or even a new Swire operating company.    

Please start by giving a snapshot of your day-to-day duties at Taikoo Place.

No two days are the same, which is probably a good thing considering we have ten buildings in Quarry Bay to look after – and lots of tenants to keep happy. Each day, I make a point of walking around the portfolio so I can meet our tenants and frontline employees. It’s important to do this so we can understand directly what we can do to make a meaningful and positive impact on people’s lives in Taikoo Place.

When back in the office, I catch up with the team on deal and leasing activity, as well as tenant management. We receive plenty of questions and comments from tenants, and I try to provide advice to the team about how to navigate that feedback. Additionally, we work closely with our Marketing and Sustainable Development teams to ensure that the provision of our extensive amenities and green initiatives are well understood by our tenant community. All in all, there’s a lot going on in any given day. But for me, I do feel it is important to spend as much practical time as possible walking around, learning about the portfolio and meeting the tenants.

You recently moved from Swire Coca-Cola to Swire Properties. What have been some of the challenging aspects of switching between two totally different industries?

I’ll never forget the first meeting I attended at Swire Properties. It was somewhat overwhelming because of the numerous acronyms used by the team. So, the initial challenge was learning the lingo! But my main goal in those first few weeks was to meet as many people as possible across the various departments. Equally important was getting to grips with the portfolio to understand the products and service that we sell.

Although I’ve spent most of my career at Swire Coca-Cola, I have rotated through various roles, functions, countries and cultures, and that experience has helped me to adapt to new situations – as has having the courage to ask many questions. So, I felt prepared when making the move. Also, over the years I have attended several Swire Ethos development training programmes, and these have helped me build up a network of familiar faces across the Group.

Specifically on leadership, what are the transferrable skills you’ve carried across from Swire Coca-Cola to Swire Properties?

I find it useful to establish a clear stakeholder map. This will help you understand who does what, and who needs to be kept in the loop on various things internally and externally. Also, be very clear on delivering an excellent experience, be it to our customers or our people. Finally, I think it’s important to set clear expectations when beginning any project and to strip away ambiguity wherever possible. That’s a good habit I’ve been able to hold onto when transferring from Swire Coca-Cola to Swire Properties.

Of course, there are elements to my decision-making that have changed. At Swire Coca-Cola, being in the fast moving consumer goods industry, everything goes at a hundred miles per hour, one hundred percent of the time. Super snappy, data-driven decisions are necessary; that’s just the nature of the industry. Whereas with property, the decision-making process is somewhat longer as are the feedback loops.

What advice would you give to a more junior manager who was facing challenges, such as adapting to a new role or posting?

Be proactive. Don’t just rely on what’s been designed for you. Some operating companies have different approaches to onboarding, or capability development and training. So push those boundaries. I’d also recommend seeking out a buddy and then bombard them with questions. This will provide a bit more context and perhaps help answer some of the whys you might have when facing challenges in a new role. Understanding the context about why certain things are the way they are is important, but also show appetite to challenge the status quo to some degree.

On the buddy thing, I’ve been a mentor to a number of people over my 18 years at Swire. I think the key takeaway when mentoring someone is to ask them the questions and try to get that individual to figure out the answers for themselves – as opposed to telling them what you think based on your own experience. Also, be prepared to give some history as to why things are done in a certain way. This can really help people get their heads around the quirks they may encounter in a new role.

Finally, what do you do to relax after a busy week in Quarry Bay?

In Hong Kong, we’re fortunate to have access to nature on our doorstep, so I enjoy walking in the hills when the weather isn’t too damp. I also enjoy listening to records. When I was based in Seattle, which is a great hub for music, it was during the pandemic and there wasn’t a great deal to do outside the house. So I got into record collecting in a big way. Finally, wherever I’m based with work, I like to get out and explore that city as much as possible – especially off the beaten path. That’s always immensely refreshing.