Meet Martini Ip, Associate Director, Hong Kong

To honour Women’s History Month, we took five minutes with Martini to discuss her career journey from playing rugby at age 16, to now working as one of our Associate Directors in our Hong Kong office. In the interview, she discusses the impact playing sport has had on her career, the reasons why she decided to join our Impact and Inclusion Council, and the importance of investing in women in the workplace.

5MW Martini 4

You’ve been with CSM for nearly seven years now, can you tell us a bit about your journey to get to where you are today? Is there a project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of?

I joined CSM in 2017 as an Account Manager to manage an F1 motorsport partnership, and since then, I have been involved in various accounts covering rugby, golf and football. I am now an Associate Director in Asia, overseeing our account servicing team in Hong Kong and Singapore. I also lead the HSBC account in Asia, managing HSBC’s rugby partnerships in the region. This includes HSBC SVNS, HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Singapore Sevens, Hong Kong China Team partnership, and the HSBC Try Rugby Programme.

One of the projects that I am particularly proud of is the HSBC Try Rugby programme which launched in 2017. The programme aims to support physical education teachers by providing them with the knowledge and equipment necessary to introduce sevens rugby into schools. Through the partnership, more than 200 primary schools and 100 secondary schools have been involved with the programme, which has benefited 50,000+ children in Hong Kong.

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Can you tell us more about what inspired you to start playing rugby, the impact it’s had on your life, and how it’s influenced your work at CSM?

I started playing rugby when I was 16 and it has become an integral part of my development. From making new friends and expanding my networks, to having the opportunity to study abroad and embrace different cultures, rugby has given me a lot. It’s also given me the honour of representing Hong Kong for Women’s XVs and captaining my local club. I have learnt good values through rugby – teamwork, passion, respect, and integrity. These all play an important part in my daily life, both personally and professionally.

After I retired from rugby, I wanted to continue to contribute to the rugby community in a different way. I am now a chairperson of a local rugby club where I can use my knowledge and expertise from work to support local rugby operations and development. Recently, I joined a mentee programme called LIFT (Launching and Inspiring Female Talent), hosted by Hong Kong China Rugby, where I have the opportunity to develop and build my skills as a female leader in our rugby community. My ambition from this programme is to inspire more young girls to be involved in the sport and support women’s rugby growth.

Alongside your day job, you are also a part of our Inclusion & Impact Council in Hong Kong. Can you tell us why joined the council and share some key highlights?

I am a people person and love to find purpose in the work I do. Hong Kong is a very diverse city and our team out here is relatively small, so I wanted to ensure our working environment truly reflects CSM’s values. I joined the I&I Council to lead by example, making a positive impact through the power of our work, and to contribute to building on the extraordinary culture that makes CSM what it is.

On the APAC I&I Council, we have a strong focus on community and career programmes, and we look to support local non-profits on promoting I&I values. We recently engaged with WISE (Women in Sports Empowered) to understand how we can support them to drive female empowerment through the power of sport, which benefits young girls in the city. We are also looking to launch our very own Grassroots programme in Hong Kong and Singapore in 2024. This will support the next generation in understanding more about career opportunities and pathways within the sports industry in Asia.

The theme for Women’s History Month this year is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”. Thinking a bit about your career to date, and future aspirations, how do you feel about the idea of Investing in Women within the workplace, as well as sports specifically?

I feel honoured to work in our Hong Kong office, which is headed up by two amazing women leaders. This showcases the power and value of investing in women within the workplace. We’re able to see different perspectives and opinions on our daily work i.e. being empathetic and putting oneself in another person’s shoes to see issues from different angles. This promotes inclusivity within our workplace, considering our industry is traditionally very male dominated.

When not at work, what would we find you doing?

When not at work, you would find me on the road – I am a keen long-boarder who loves to cruise around Hong Kong, exploring the beauty of our city, both old and new!