After spending a decade of my life in the QI Group, I can say with confidence that this is a unique place. The three things that I consider unique are:

• The sense of camaraderie I feel with my colleagues. We are proud to refer to each other as our QI Family
• The open platform that encourages employees to voice their thoughts and opinions
• The culture of responsibility inculcated into all the employees about the communities we live and operate in.

Shortly before joining the QI Group in 2011, I made the most significant and daunting decision of my life. I left my native UK and made the decision to relocate to Hong Kong. I was born and bred in the UK and had never lived anywhere else.  The thought of uprooting from everything familiar and moving away from my immediate family was incredibly nerve-racking.

The only thing that gave me a sense of comfort was the knowledge that I was relocating for personal growth, for a bigger purpose. I have always worked in IT and enjoyed working in the industry, so I knew that in this new chapter of my life, I wanted to continue in tech.  The challenge was finding a role that aligned with my goals.

Six months after I moved to Hong Kong, a close friend referred me to the QI Group since he heard about a role that required specialist IT infrastructure knowledge and he thought I would be a good fit.

Whilst contemplating the opportunity, I did some reading about the company and was fascinated to learn about its mission statement, the values built around QI’s corporate ethos, RYTHM – Raise Yourself to Help Mankind, and so much more. It was certainly unlike any other company I’d come across, and I decided then and there that I wanted to be a part of this.

In my early role, I was as an Identity Management Specialist primarily focused on all aspects of managing our internal staff user accounts and associated communication services such as email systems and instant messaging.

Over the years, as the company’s IT infrastructure requirements expanded and evolved substantially to adapt to growing business needs, so did my responsibilities. This led me to my current role, which includes datacentre management, OS deployment and provisioning, cyber security, infrastructure architecture, programming, and automation. I’ve come a long way from what I initially joined the company to do, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me and the many opportunities with increasing responsibilities I’ve been given over the years.

When I look back at this 10-year journey and how much I’ve grown both professionally and personally, I’m convinced of the endless possibilities that QI can afford to anyone willing to take that leap of faith. The support I’ve received from my superiors and the confidence placed in me even when I doubted myself, is truly motivating.

The best part of my job is unlocking achievements that positively impact our progress as a business entity. One of the recent milestones for the IT department is a company-wide adoption of Microsoft Azure Cloud for all our systems. This is truly ground-breaking so much so that we even got a shoutout from Microsoft themselves! Since I was involved in this project from start to end, I learned to upskill and navigate the latest IT environments, and the knowledge I gained in the process is invaluable.

While there are countless treasured memories during my years with QI, one that stands out above all is from QI Rising, an internal workshop carried out for a select group of employees annually. Just a few years ago, I had the privilege of being invited to be part of this programme. I had no idea how it would transform my life. Before my participation, I had only heard about how challenging it would be, yet actual details were hard to come by – as instructed by the organisers, all previous attendees I spoke with never divulged details to ensure the novelty of experiencing it for the first time. In keeping with this spirit, it is safe to mention that my experiences throughout this workshop were eye-opening and exceptionally inspiring, to say the least. In QI, the unique internal staff engagement programmes are tailored such that you somehow find yourself being challenged and yet, never left behind.

Many of my significant personal milestones have also taken place during my time at QI. I got married, built my dream home in Hong Kong, and will soon expand my little family as I prepare to become a first-time father. It truly feels like I have grown up alongside the QI Group.

My time here has also taught me to make conscious changes to my lifestyle. With one of our core company values being Sustainability, I have switched to an all-electric vehicle, invested in a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel array at my current home, actively practise a healthy, clean diet and, where possible, do waste recycling. Being in an environment that constantly motivates you to do the right thing truly makes a difference.

For all newcomers and those seeking to join us over at the QI Group, all you need to have is an open mind and the willingness to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. QI will challenge you, but it will also embrace you.

Benjamin Wong is a Team Lead for the IT Infrastructure & Cloud Management Team. He is based in Hong Kong.