Annie Ng has had a remarkable career so far, and it is just getting started. She started with IRI in 1999. “I was primarily responsible for promoting corporate business in the Asia Pacific regions, which included speaking at various conferences about the offshore industry,” Annie said. In 2004 she was appointed General Manager of IRI’s Hong Kong office; since 2005 she has been the Managing Director/Head of Asia, where she is responsible for the company’s maritime and corporate registry business in Asia.
When Annie joined IRI in 1999, she had no prior knowledge of the offshore industry or ship registries, however, Annie learned quickly and evolved to be a leader in expanding business for our Far East operations. Annie opened our Singapore office in 2000, Shanghai office in 2002, Tokyo office in 2004, Seoul office in 2007. Currently she oversees nine offices in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Philippines, providing local client service to meet the needs of our Far East clients.
“After becoming the overall-in-charge in 2004, I was also involved in the expansion of our ship registry business in Asia,” she noted. The industry is a source of satisfaction and excitement for Annie. “Most importantly, the services provided by IRI are genuinely of great value to shipowners and professional intermediaries. The whole journey expanding IRI businesses in Asia has been extremely challenging but very rewarding whenever we see high client satisfaction and we have been able to deliver tailor made services that other peers can’t easily achieve,” she said.
When asked how one can be successful in this line of work, she said, “The answer is simple: to be successful in this line of work or in any other, you must be knowledgeable about the field you have chosen, and to understand what the current market needs are. The bottom line is to keep learning every day. The business environment today is totally different from when I started 20 years ago.”
Annie is also a member of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA).
