Fuji Xerox MD Herbert Hui finds success in contributing to society.
For Herbert Hui, managing director of Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong), success is not only measured by how well his company meets clients’ needs and performs financially, but also by the contribution it can make to the wider community.
At a time when the city is facing landfill issues, for example, Hui is proud that his company is dedicated to a zero-landfill policy and has been achieving a 99.9 per cent recycling rate since 2010. “For the majority of us that work in the company, we were born, live and work in Hong Kong, so it is only right that we should look after our home,” says the former accountant, who joined the firm 25 years ago.
As part of the management team that has helped the company evolve from a hardware supplier to a prominent information and communications technology (ICT) solution and services provider, Hui says his main responsibility is to ensure the firm always stays in tune with clients’ future needs. “Clients are looking for cost-effective models for managing the creation, distribution and management of documents within their organisations.”
To ensure he has a clear understanding of these needs, he arranges regular formal and social meetings with clients.
He sees himself as a partner and team player who believes it is important to empower staff members. “We often use the term ‘team Fuji’, which defines the way we work and is one of our key strengths.”
Hui frequently accompanies staff on client visits to show his support and learn first-hand about client needs and their future requirements. He is also a keen advocate of the plan-do-check-act framework, a popular management tool for assessing the consequences and outcomes of business decisions.
Hui has had held various key positions at Fuji Xerox, including roles in finance, legal and business operations. He also spent time in Shanghai as chief financial officer for Fuji Xerox (China) and vice-president of Greater China operations, a post he held for four years prior to taking up his current role in 2012.
He says each position has helped to prepare for his next career move. “Everything I’ve done in the past I view as an asset that enables me to perform my current job more effectively.”
In addition to using his experiences as an accountant to shape management decisions, Hui puts his training to good use by mentoring accounting students studying at Polytechnic University.
Fuji Xerox also works closely with clients to help them achieve their corporate social responsibility goals. “CSR is not something we just talk about. We live it every day – it’s part of our company DNA.”
Fuji Xerox is a pioneer in supporting CSR initiatives in Hong Kong, he says. By incorporating policies for end-of-life resource recovery into the design process, the company is able to reuse or recycle products at its Asia-Pacific remanufacturing factory in Thailand.
A recent cooperation with the Children’s Heart Foundation to host Hong Kong’s first eco-art exhibition – featuring pieces made of used parts from office devices – is another example of supporting the community and promoting the value of sustainability initiatives, he says.
Hui was inspired by one of his secondary school teachers to get involved in things, rather than criticise. He encourages Fuji employees to embrace the same concept by setting three annual self-improvement goals. On a company scale, he aims to boost its solution and services business from 30 per cent to 50 per cent over the next three years.
Hui joined Fuji Xerox in 1989 to set up a new leasing department. He was already familiar with the company, having audited the accounts for the previous five years while working at KPMG.
“This was a completely new challenge, because office equipment leasing didn’t really exist at that time,” Hui says. From a small market percentage, today, Fuji’s office equipment leasing penetration rate in Hong Kong is about 90 per cent.
Hui cites his versatile career background as one of the motivating factors he uses to inspire the company’s 800 employees to look for ways to work smarter and more efficiently. “I try to get people thinking along the lines that Fuji Xerox is their own company and its success relies on the decisions they make,” he says.
As Fuji Xerox clients look for digital and cloud-based solutions, Hui says his company is training staff to be business sector specialist. “We are investing in training and technologies that help address our client’s specific needs.”
Hui says Fuji Xerox has a long history of supporting local businesses. “Fuji Xerox is well positioned to help our customers become more sustainable. Our technology and services are designed and managed to improve sustainability performance for customers,” says Hui.
To stay competitive via THE adoption of ICT services and solutions, Hui says Fuji Xerox plans to leverage its proven technologies and methodologies to provide value-added customer services. “Fuji Xerox range of multifunction devices, printers and copiers help to reduce printing costs, streamline business processes and automate common tasks.”
