IW170009
Most Influential Woman in Ethnic Brand Strategy - Canada Company: LEVEL5 Strategy Group Contact: Hua Yu Contact Email: hyu@Level5strategy.com Address: 18 King Street East, Mezzanine Level, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1C4, Canada Phone: 14163613468 Web Address: www.level5strategy.com/
LEVEL5 Strategy Group LEVEL5 Strategy Group is a management consulting firm that builds and helps implement inspired growth strategies that generate ownable, competitive advantage. We explore how Hua Yu, Managing Partner of LEVEL5, has helped the firm to achieve the success it enjoys today and speak to her about her work for the company. ounded in 2002, LEVEL5 Strategy Group is a strategy firm created to drive branded business growth for our clients based on the perspective that brands are the most misunderstood and underleveraged assets in today’s business world. Hua discusses the firm’s service offering in more detail and explains how it works to provide excellence at all times.
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“Here at LEVEL 5, We work with our clients to create the greatest value in theirs by helping unite their organization’s entire business system around their brand to guide every decision and action. North American clients we’ve worked with include: Metrolinx, Rogers Media, University of Toronto, Canada Post, Canadian Tire, Kimberly Clarke, SickKids Foundation, Home Depot, Live Nation, 3M, Canada Goose and more. Guided by our SMART BRAVE ACTION™ operating philosophy, LEVEL5 delivers strategy through a proven combination of business experience, innovative capabilities, and disciplined proprietary methodologies.” At the core of all of its services is the generation of ownable, competitive advantage. LEVEL5’s service offering is built upon three pillars to grow the clients’ organization: Insight and Strategy, Planning and Transformation, and Execution and Measurement. We work with clients to create implementable solutions that are true to the clients’ brand and align their organization on a clear path forward. These would not be possible without dedicated staff, and as such Hua and her team draw on their vast experience to support their clients. Hua talks us through her own previous careers and how she draws on them in her current role. “Personally, I started my career with Seagram (China) and was one of the key members responsible for the successful launch of Seagram’s Wine Coolers in China by introducing a brand new category to the local consumers. I moved to New York in the early 90s. After completing the Master degree, I joined a private equity firm and worked with many senior US government officials on 18 Acquisition International - Influential Businesswoman Awards 2017
various Chinese telecom projects and successfully launched several IPOs for major Chinese telecom companies in the US stock market. “In the late 90s, I moved from New York to Toronto. I then spent the next 6 years working for a marketing and communication firm (JSAI), developing marketing programs for global companies such as Pfizer, Interbrew and Eli Lilly. As such, with over 25 years of working experience in international marketing, finance and general management gives me the rich knowledge and experience to provide not only fact based strategy, but also the ability to help clients bring the strategy to life, particularly in developing the multicultural strategy and North American market entry strategy.” Moving forward, LEVEL5 Strategy Group will be seeking to build upon its current success as it looks towards a bright and exciting future. Hua discusses the future developments that she believes will be crucial to both her firm and her clients. “By 2030, visible minorities in Canada are expected to account for one-third of the country’s population, therefore the importance of identifying and understanding the ethnic consumers is becoming critical, and represents a major growth opportunity for Canadian companies. Therefore, I believe more and more Canadian companies will invest in understanding the key purchasing behaviours of these visible minorities, and leverage the insights to develop specific strategy to achieve the overall company growth objectives. “To support my clients to grasp this great opportunity, I want to continue to provide the good strategy and tactical advice to my clients. I also want to create channels to help other professional women become a successful global professional citizen. In October 2015, I founded #WeWorkingWomen, and it has now become the number 1 Chinese women leadership digital platform in Canada with more than 30,000 subscribers. I want to use this platform to promote professional women to achieve borderless success and become global professional citizen.”