Kev-On Air EP4 | Mutual achievement: Ilaria Chan on power of tech and personal development

In a recent interview, Ilaria Chan, the Chairperson of the Board of the Tech For Good Institute, a non-profit think-tank founded by Grab (Southeast Asia's leading super app), shared her insights on the operation of modern enterprises, personal self-value realization, and offered suggestions on personal development for today's youth.

As an influential super app on transportation, food delivery, and financial technology services, Grab has been transforming the Southeast Asian market for over a decade. In Chan's opinion, Tech For Good Institute (founded by Grab) is a "convening platform". "We want all the players in this ecosystem, whether it's the private sector, the public sector, academia...we want to bring them together" to nation-build in Southeast Asia.

However, there are also a lot of corporations that get bad names for mistreating employees, which destroys the atmosphere of the workplace. "Can policymakers or business owners create programs that allow people to go beyond just thinking about surviving and actually help them thrive?" Chan expressed her dissatisfaction.

At the same time, Chan mentioned the changes in attitude towards life among the younger generations. "(Previously) people want to make money in their jobs so that they could have a good retirement or second half of life...but people like Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly not buying into that," Chan said, "They want the good life now as they create good careers." Thus, she offered her suggestions for Hong Kong youth, "Do not be disheartened by competition, but yet, know why you are there, know what makes you a diamond in the rough, makes you not a dime in a dozen."

"But oftentimes we cannot change the world...even if I produce no results, I need to be okay about that and have a humble sense of who we are, who I am."

Chan noted sincerely in the end, "We're all human beings; we're all very similar in what we want. (We must) help each other, realize each other as better versions of ourselves."