Annette Chen

Meet Annette, Associate Vice President - Account Management

From cold-calling to nurturing client relationships

When Annette was a graduate, she wasn't looking for a traditional corporate job. She was drawn to Third Bridge after seeing social media posts that showcased a vibrant and youthful culture. "It was just so young, fun, and dynamic," she recalls. "I thought, 'This seems like a place I would enjoy the culture’.”

She joined what was then known as the Connections team in January 2019. It was a fast-paced environment that pushed her to develop crucial soft skills never taught at university. From learning how to build rapport with people on the phone to thinking on her feet in real-time. This early experience was foundational, giving her a deep understanding of the business and the confidence to engage with experts and clients alike.

What stood out to Annette most early on was the trust placed in her. “Perhaps just three months in, they trusted us to start speaking to experts and clients,” she reflects “It’s a huge part of the business, so the company shocked me with the level of complete trust.”

After two years, Annette felt ready for a new challenge. Recognizing that she took her motivation from contributing directly to the top-line growth of the company, she wanted to move to a more commercially-driven, client-facing role. Rather than waiting for an opportunity, she proactively began having conversations with her manager and her mentor, expressing her interest in joining the Account Management team. She was met with "super supportive" leadership that listened to her career aspirations and worked with her to make the transition a reality. Within three months, a role became available, and she made the successful pivot “It was quite a fast process,” she recalls, “I felt like my desire to move and expand my career was taken very seriously.” Having spoken first-hand with senior leaders in the business, Annette felt not only genuinely valued but also inspired to pursue her career move. “It wasn’t one of those things you often get in big corporations where they try to stifle you, or lead you on. ‘We’ll support you’, they said.”

In her current role as an AVP of Account Management for the Pan-Asia Private Equity vertical, Annette finds her job to be deeply satisfying and relationship-driven. She focuses on nurturing long-term partnerships with clients and proactively anticipating their needs. While the role came with its own steep learning curves, including mastering time management and holding her own with highly intellectual clients who are at the top of their game, she's found the process of growth to be one of the most rewarding aspects of her career.

Seizing opportunities to grow and pioneer

While maintaining and nurturing client relationships is a cornerstone of her job, Annette is keen to keep growing and stretching herself in her role, noting her involvement in spearheading the new data solutions product for the Asian market as a “work-in-progress” career highlight. Not afraid to get stuck in, she sees this as an opportunity to take complete ownership and is deeply invested in the success of the latest offering. “I definitely want to ensure Asia’s not left behind on this train,” she says enthusiastically “Data feeds are so exciting because it's completely in line with what we are seeing in the global market.” Her work on this initiative is a testament to the trust placed in her by senior leadership. "It's a really exciting time to be at Third Bridge," she says, emphasizing the company's "agile" and "startup feel."

Annette’s enthusiasm for this new project perfectly captures the company's culture of innovation. "There’s always something new that you’re trying to either sell, or you're trying to integrate, or you're trying to shape within the company," she explains. “There's always something new around the corner.” This constant state of evolution ensures that every day brings a fresh challenge and opportunity for growth, preventing her from ever feeling stagnant.

A culture of trust, support, and flexibility

For Annette, a key factor in her longevity and success has been Third Bridge’s culture. From her early experiences of being trusted to speak directly to clients, to current opportunities to visit clients, work remotely, and build flexibility into her days.

Annette regularly has the opportunity to visit clients outside of Hong Kong in countries like Singapore. “I felt very blessed to do that within my first year of Account Management” she says. But the business trips haven’t been all glitz and glamour, “It’s really tiring,” she says earnestly, “there’s an expectation that you’ll meet at least six people a day to get return on investment from your trip. And that’s really exhausting but fulfilling!”.

She also points to the company’s adaptability as a key factor in keeping her engaged and on her toes “I think the way that we operate is still very flexible and kind of like a new company, even though we've been around for so long now.” What’s important to Annette is that the dynamism and fun that first attracted her is still as evident today as it was back then “We've not lost our essence of the way that we were initially, just because we've scaled.” she says fondly.

One of the greatest perks for Annette is Third Bridge’s "work from anywhere" benefit, which allows employees to work remotely away from their usual office location for a limited number of days per year. For Annette, it's a small but significant detail that further showcases the trust the company places in its employees. "It just really shows that they're trusting you to get your work done," she says. This trust, she feels, is reciprocated by her deep sense of ownership over her work and her career path.

Life beyond work

While Annette's professional life at Third Bridge is marked by a fast-paced environment and a focus on career growth, her personal life is centered on travel and her rescue dog. She takes full advantage of public holidays and the flexibility of her job to explore new places. When she's not on the road, a significant portion of her time and energy is devoted to her "sweetie pie" rescue dog, a commitment she clearly cherishes.

Advice for new joiners

Annette’s advice for new joiners is both simple and powerful: take every opportunity you can. She highlights that as a new Associate, it's all too easy for team members to “get their heads so buried in the sand with the role itself, that they don't see how many opportunities that they can take with the role.” She passionately believes that if you fully embrace the Client Services Associate role, you will be set up for success in every other area of the business. "If you understand that through and through, there's no reason why you wouldn't be successful in other areas of the business," she says.

Reflecting on her own journey, Annette admits her initial expectations were different from the reality of the role, but she is ultimately "very happy that I took it because it brought me to where I am today." By being proactive, embracing challenges, and committing to building strong relationships, Annette hasn't just found a job; she's built a meaningful and rewarding career.