I...Interviewer
C...Camille
I : How would you recall your years at DGS ?
C : I studied in DGS from primary 5 to lower 6, so that would
be 8 years.
I liked the whole DGS experience and it was a happy one. It's
hard to think of any significant moment in particular. If I
were to pinpoint something that influenced me it would be the
school motto " Daily Giving Service ". That was very
meaningful.
I
: How did your education prepare you for the challenges you
have faced ?
Did you realize at the time how much it would mean to you ?
C:
My studies at DGS gave me a good foundation. What I gained from
DGS and Stanford was a sense of self-confidence. I learned to
live a full life. Harvard Business School taught me to scale
borders, figuratively speaking, and to communicate more effectively
what I believe is right. Life provides pivotal experiences and
I've learnt it takes some time before one realizes their value.
I would not have known at that time how much they would mean
to me.
I : How did you go about making your choice of career
after completing your College education ?
C:
My career choices happened serendipitously. I met a Stanford
graduate student, Marilyn Chin. We became very good friends,
talked a lot. She asked me to meet her friend Dick Lazarus who,
although not in retailing himself, had breathed retailing through
his family owning the most successful high-end retailing group.
That encouraged me to apply to Macy's California in San Francisco.
That was my first job. That's how I decided my first step and
all subsequent professional choices. By talking to people, ending
up friends with people of all ages- people older than me by
30 years and young people too. I love meeting young people.
I
remembered running into a 60-year old gentleman who eventually
brought me into investment banking, something I would have never
considered. If you told anyone in Stanford at that time that
I would end up in investment banking, everyone would say "no
way... Camille?"
(Note:
It turned out that Camille had a very successful career in investment
banking. She worked for ContiGrain Financial in Chicago, New
York and London before working for HSBC Investment Bank in Hong
Kong. She last served as Executive Director, Strategic Projects
and Communications, Asia, for the Swiss Bank Corporation (now
UBS) during the period it acquired and merged with Brinson Partners,
Warburg and Standard Chartered Private Banking.)
I
: Do you consider yourself successful ?
C: My life is rich and full. There are many significant moments.
I like to call them "A-HA" moments, when the light
bulb turns on and you learn. They come at the most unexpected
times.
I : What advice can you give to today's girls at school
to help them in the future ?
C:
Many "A-HA" moments have to do with running into someone,
an experience I believe understanding people is a key skill,
something that has to be practised and learnt. We often realize
that we learn only after an experience has occurred. Choosing
who you want to be around, who your friends are is very important.
The Swiss taught me it is as important, if not more important,
deciding which clients you don't want, rather than the ones
you do want.
(Note:
Camille then related an incident while she was working in investment
banking and two of her colleagues were detained in China. She
and her team spent 8 weeks to get them released. She had to
cross over into criminal law, something she had never done before.
The team successfully got the two colleagues out but she feels
young people can encounter tremendous dilemmas in the professional
and personal journey - something good mentors can help them
address effectively.
Camille
held positions focusing on youth development policies. She was
formerly a member of the Hong Kong Government Central Policy
Unit and Award Council For Young People. In the U.S., she serves
on the Advisory Board of Maxwell School of Citizenship &
Public Affairs and is a director of the 1990 Institute.)
I : What's your priority between career and family ?
C
: I have never had trouble prioritizing my career and my family
life. My family always comes first. Always. There has been no
compromise. I have changed jobs to spend more time with my family.
Work is secondary to my relationships. Relationships in my life
are far more important. I don't believe "quality time"
alone is sufficient. I believe "quantity time" is
necessary in addition to "quality time". I've learnt
this through my two sons. Sometimes you need to just hang out
with, be around your kids, be there for them. It's interesting
how research shows teens actually need more time than young
children do. But parents also need to learn not to worry about
their kids too much, to let them go.
I : What contribution do you think DOGA can make in the
future towards the school and the community ?
C: We can have an impact on each other and on the people we
meet. By discussing and doing our best to benchmark integrity,
we can hopefully offer a roadmap to students.
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