PROFILE
Who’s who: Kelvin Chiu This month: Asia Gaming’s Sales Director
How did you first get involved with the gaming industry? The first time I visited a casino I was just 16 and my father and I went to the Lisboa casino in Macau. You were supposed to be 18 to enter, but I looked older than I actually was and I was quite tall. Going in, I was really excited and my father gave me HK$500 to try my luck at some of the games. However, despite losing it all in less than 20 minutes, I was blown away by the whole experience. I found myself so interested in it all and I wanted then to find out everything about the casino industry.
What attracted you to this sector? I find the industry – and the ability of companies to generate profits within it – fascinating. I got my opportunity when, many years after my first casino experience, one of my best friends was working with an online gaming company and was able to introduce me to the industry.
Favourite…
Movie: Most Hong Kong Kung Fu movies Music: Simon & Garfunkel Book: Comics Pastime: Clubbing, gym, diving and travel Item of clothing: Givenchy Pizza topping: Chorizo or ibérico
What were you doing prior to the gaming industry? I had a number of careers before moving into gaming. These included running my own catering business as well as working for an insurance company.
What are you responsible for in your current position? As the market is changing so fast, my responsibility is to communicate with my clients, analyse what we can do for them and work out the best solutions for their challenges.
What have been the biggest industry changes you’ve seen in your time? The growth of mobile has been faster than I ever expected. Everyone is holding a mobile in their hands and it is for this reason that we try to adapt quickly and develop the necessary products. We are now releasing our games in APP, HTML5 and Flash, so players will be able to enjoy our games whilst on the move.
What are the biggest positive factors for your sector right now? With revenue from the online gambling market in Asia continuing to increase, in my opinion it is important that European operators looking to enter this region work with game developers that not only have the relevant technical skills and established distributing networks, but also the necessary strategic reach. We believe that the largest growth markets at
present are in Japan and Korea. Asia Gaming will focus on building games for these markets and will offer live casino opportunities with Korean and Japanese dealers in the future. This is why we believe our company can serve as a perfect partner.
And what are the main obstacles for growth in this market? It is vital to stay close to the rapid development of technology and provide users with an accustomed and interactive experience. As a result, we have to invest a great amount of money into cutting-edge technology in order to create products that no other company has been able develop. It’s also important to continue to undertake market research to understand the needs of players in Asia.
Looking at your entire career, what do you think was your smartest move? The smartest move I have ever taken was joining Asia Gaming, a company that is always keen on being the best in the industry. Innovation with cutting-edge technology and addressing trends helps us a lot in our sales pitches.
…and the dumbest one? Fortunately, I haven’t taken one!
Where do you hope you’ll be, professionally, in 10 years’ time? Ten years is a long time, but I will do my best to set out my timeline. I would like to spend two more years mastering my skills, gaining responsibility and hopefully moving up to a higher position so that 10 years from now I will have made a significant and positive impact on the industry as a whole.
If you’d never embarked on this career, what other line of work would you have liked to pursue? I really cannot think of another career I would like to have had.
MAY 2016 81
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