Sharing from Fellows, Peers and CEOs

Sharing from CEOs and Peers

Class of 2022 Fellow
Bibo Chui

Quote
It’s all because of the people I met here.

Melo Journey and Growth
In a world where capitalism fails, socialism corrupts; hard workers are rewarded, lazy thinkers are resulted; mobilized crowd turns silent, hopelessness lurks for another revolution; then history repeats, yet never really improves; the utmost romance may be - never give up seeking even when we are confined by reality.

But what I want to take note here is that, despite that I talked about the hope gap in Hong Kong, the people whom I have met in Project Melo have relighted hope in me bit by bit as I realized - we have so many good leaders in Hong Kong.

Class of 2022 Fellow
Cindy Tanaka

Quote
A sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to be very difficult and sophisticated — small actions count, and they can go a long way.

Melo Journey and Growth
“Paint a future that is exciting for yourself,” Evan Auyang said to our team when we interviewed him as part of the Project. To me, that would be a world where people understand the consequences of their current habits on the planet; where people have an open-minded mentality to accept new ideas; where people are willing to take action and are provided the opportunities to do so.

Class of 2022 Fellow
Cindy Tanaka

Quote
A sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to be very difficult and sophisticated — small actions count, and they can go a long way.

Melo Journey and Growth
“Paint a future that is exciting for yourself,” Evan Auyang said to our team when we interviewed him as part of the Project. To me, that would be a world where people understand the consequences of their current habits on the planet; where people have an open-minded mentality to accept new ideas; where people are willing to take action and are provided the opportunities to do so.

Class of 2022 Fellow
Janette Chan

Quote
The whole thing is like living a life.

Melo Journey and Growth
Getting drunk for the first time might be a good way to end this journey…The whole thing is like living a life. Despite all the highs and lows, I never regret being a part of this. This is truly eye opening, how people with different backgrounds and values can get together and pull off all these projects and the Summit. Getting to know everyone also helps me understand more about myself and the kind of people I want to become. It’s just such a shame that we didn’t have many opportunities to meet people from the other groups.

Of course, shit happens, but as the Melo slogan goes - GET SH*T DONE. Now I fully understand what it means at the cost of feeling 5 years older now. To conclude, it’s absolutely a tough but rewarding journey.

Class of 2022 Fellow
Jason Cheung

Quote
It is a dream come true.

Melo Journey and Growth
The Melo Summit 2022 wraps up my amazing journey with Project Melo! I have always been aspiring to share motivating and inspiring ideas in TED Talks, but I have never imagined that I will have the opportunity to speak on stage alongside John Tsang, Michael Moriarty and Arthur Shek at the age of 21. It is a dream come true to share the voices of the youth to corporate leaders on such a big occasion.

Class of 2022 Fellow
Jason Cheung

Quote
It is a dream come true.

Melo Journey and Growth
The Melo Summit 2022 wraps up my amazing journey with Project Melo! I have always been aspiring to share motivating and inspiring ideas in TED Talks, but I have never imagined that I will have the opportunity to speak on stage alongside John Tsang, Michael Moriarty and Arthur Shek at the age of 21. It is a dream come true to share the voices of the youth to corporate leaders on such a big occasion.

Class of 2022 Fellow
Rex Yeung

Quote
Hope I can experience more of my life.

Melo Journey and Growth
Public speaking and storytelling have been my dream since day one. Those kind of genuine and heartfelt stories that build rapport and spark inspiration with the audience.
Hope I can experience more of my life, and someday return with more meaningful stories to be shared, with more meaningful changes in the making.

Class of 2021 Fellow
Agnes Lam

Quote
You’re the only one who’s holding you back.

Melo Journey and Growth
I was so excited to meet many leaders and directly interacted with them. I normally see them on TV or magazines so it was a very valuable opportunity to learn from them in some casual occasions.

At first, when I was not sure about the implication from the CEO’s side but I hesitated to further ask questions to clarify. Slowly it was clear that it would affect our communication so I learned to ask stupid questions to make even the most miscellaneous things clear.

Class of 2021 Fellow
Agnes Lam

Quote
You’re the only one who’s holding you back.

Melo Journey and Growth
I was so excited to meet many leaders and directly interacted with them. I normally see them on TV or magazines so it was a very valuable opportunity to learn from them in some casual occasions.

At first, when I was not sure about the implication from the CEO’s side but I hesitated to further ask questions to clarify. Slowly it was clear that it would affect our communication so I learned to ask stupid questions to make even the most miscellaneous things clear.

Class of 2021 Fellow
Hogan Wong

Quote
Stay hungry, stay foolish.

Melo Journey and Growth
The Melo journey as a whole is full of wonderful surprises. One of the highlights would definitely be the visit to the headquarters at McDonald's Hong Kong. To my delight, we had the valuable opportunity to undergo its exclusive trainings and hear the stories of its diligent employees. In particular, Randy's sense of humbleness and innovativeness left a strong impression on me. I think McDonald's vision to continue serving the Hong Kong youth community is something worthwhile.

The Melo journey is for sure unforgettable to say the least. I really treasure the valuable opportunities to have genuine conversations with business leaders. The co-creation project is also challenging yet satisfying. In terms of my personal growth, I am now more comfortable communicating with C-level professionals, as well as working alongside likeminded peers to create impactful projects.

Class of 2021 Peer
Inky Ip

Quote
Dream Big, Act Small!

Melo Journey and Growth
I enjoyed the most is when the genuine meeting with our beloved CEOs with Kenny and Randy, where two generations communicate peacefully. I would never expect Randy is so passionate and a pioneer in youth empowerment and social justice. We need more authentic communication ground like this!

Despite many working experience that I had compared to other students I know, working with students from other education institutions, experts in the field and CEOs while starting a project from stretch, I am aware of my inadequacy in problem-solving, design thinking and communication. As Winston Churchill once said "failure is not fatal it is the courage to continue that counts", the lessons and skills I learnt will be taken into all scenarios in life and my future workplace. My experience in the Melo project affirmed my intention to work with purpose and social impact in the future and when I am graduated.

Class of 2021 Peer
Inky Ip

Quote
Dream Big, Act Small!

Melo Journey and Growth
I enjoyed the most is when the genuine meeting with our beloved CEOs with Kenny and Randy, where two generations communicate peacefully. I would never expect Randy is so passionate and a pioneer in youth empowerment and social justice. We need more authentic communication ground like this!

Despite many working experience that I had compared to other students I know, working with students from other education institutions, experts in the field and CEOs while starting a project from stretch, I am aware of my inadequacy in problem-solving, design thinking and communication. As Winston Churchill once said "failure is not fatal it is the courage to continue that counts", the lessons and skills I learnt will be taken into all scenarios in life and my future workplace. My experience in the Melo project affirmed my intention to work with purpose and social impact in the future and when I am graduated.

Class of 2021 Fellow
Lily Lee

Quote
Don’t be proud of your affiliation, be proud of your creation.

Melo Journey and Growth
We often assume that teenagers’ opinions are not as highly valued as prestigious people in society. The Melo journey has proven me wrong because CEOs are actually quite down-to-earth, and are willing to listen and share. The most impressive sharing to me would be from Randy, the CEO of McDonald’s HK, in which she has given Melo fellows chances to speak up and to express societal concerns. I definitely love her to-do spirit and youth engagement’s aspiration.

I would say the Melo journey has provided me with the lens to see through what shortcomings are in myself and how I should improve. Being humble is sometimes quite contradictory to challenging the status quo because on one hand, you value people’s opinion, but on the other hand, you want to disturb the old ways of doing things. The lesson that lies on me would be how I could balance the two and contribute at the same time.

Class of 2021 Fellow
Shiny Ho

Quote
Leaders are not someone with many followers, but someone inspire next leaders.

Melo Journey and Growth
The most exciting part is definitely working with Randy and Kenny to co-create the Happy Meal's project. Little did I expect our ideas can come into reality, not to mention for a corporate with much publicity! Meanwhile going through the ups and downs, i.e. ideas conflict, over-promises, time management, etc. Really appreciate the resources and inspirations given by the two CEOs. The Melo Program did link me closer to the mindset of CEOs and the world.

100% yes! I really enjoy the idea of "experiential learning". I remember we start by putting too much assumptions on CEOs, their work, our capacity, etc. Tho the biggest takeaway is to be authentic in building a seemingly difficult relationship. By humble listening to veterans' experience and advice on managing corporates or self, I grow to be more reflective and expressive.

Class of 2021 Fellow
Shiny Ho

Quote
Leaders are not someone with many followers, but someone inspire next leaders.

Melo Journey and Growth
The most exciting part is definitely working with Randy and Kenny to co-create the Happy Meal's project. Little did I expect our ideas can come into reality, not to mention for a corporate with much publicity! Meanwhile going through the ups and downs, i.e. ideas conflict, over-promises, time management, etc. Really appreciate the resources and inspirations given by the two CEOs. The Melo Program did link me closer to the mindset of CEOs and the world.

100% yes! I really enjoy the idea of "experiential learning". I remember we start by putting too much assumptions on CEOs, their work, our capacity, etc. Tho the biggest takeaway is to be authentic in building a seemingly difficult relationship. By humble listening to veterans' experience and advice on managing corporates or self, I grow to be more reflective and expressive.

Thoughts from Melo CEOs

“I really enjoyed the anticipation before each meeting with the students -- you never knew what they would present or what topics would be discussed! Every meeting was refreshing because I felt like I was getting a glimpse of the same world, but through different eyes. Besides the project on hand, we had the chance to discuss a wide range of issues that I normally wouldn't get to discuss with young people, and that was very rewarding for me.”

Adriel Chan
Vice Chairman, Hang Lung Group
Melo Class of 2021 CEO

“This is truly a community effort....
And I’m honored to be part of this new initiative.
Yes, there are challenges ahead, for both our students and corporates... but I remain confident that our Melo Fellows and Peers together with the CEOs can learn from each other how best to weather the uncharted journey ahead.”

Bernard Chan
Convenor of the non-official members of the executive council, Hong Kong SAR Government
Melo Class of 2021 & 2022 CEO

“I am deeply impressed by the organisers’ commitment to create a differentiated program for Youth. I hope all Melo students always believe in themselves and the society, and always be brave to think differently and take actions.”

David Ku
Founder and CEO, WeBank
Melo Class of 2021 CEO

“This is an amazing program. I had a great time engaging with the Melo Fellows. We need more of this type of community driven leadership in the world and I see Melo an important empowerment platform for our exciting new generation. I am excited. For our new generation, let’s get into the arena!”

Dominic Barton
Canada’s Ambassador to China and former McKinsey Global Managing Partner
Melo Class of 2021 CEO

"Really well organised conference. Superb contents, articulate speakers, fantastic venue, noble aim. Well done. Congratulations."

John Tsang
Founder, Esperanza

“It is a meaningful program that offers young people here in Hong Kong the chance to take part in an experimental growth journey through a number of leading businesses and people across the city.”

Michael Moriarty
President &
Managing Director, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Thank you Project Melo for bringing me valuable opportunities to meet and connect with our futuremakers through reverse mentoring. As the perfect wrap-up for everyone’s effort, I’m eagerly anticipating the launch of our Fellows’ “21-Day Challenge Climate Change” Happy Meal book this June! Looking ahead, I cannot wait to connect with more young friends and be inspired by their new ideas and creativity. Together, we can drive positive change for Hong Kong and envision a brighter future for all!

Randy Lai
CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong
Melo Class of 2021 & 2022 CEO

Interested to know more about Project Melo 2023?

Details of Fellowship 2023