Growing up in Shau Kei Wan, she chaired numerous extra-curricular activities and groups at her secondary school, and was eventually nominated head girl. Gaining admittance to the University of Hong Kong in the mid-1980s, it was a 'natural progression' to opt for management.

'I was always very interested in people so I also took a minor in psychology,' she said. 'That has helped a lot in my career. You deal with a lot of people in business and psychology has helped me understand them better.'

On graduating in 1988, she landed a management traineeship with the Swire Group. Here she was inspired by her boss, Lydia Dunn, who was not only a director of the blue-chip corporation but also one of Hong Kong's most influential politicians - ultimately honoured as Baroness Dunn.

For three years as a management trainee, she rotated around various Swire divisions, including Coca-Cola and Cathay Pacific, from operations management to sales. Ultimately, she became production planning manager for the Coca-Cola business. 'I was good at figures, so at the time that was fine,' she said.

Convinced that marketing was a more interesting career direction, however, she joined DHL in 1995, initially as pricing manager, rising quickly to marketing director. A highlight of her marketing tenure was re-branding the company when Deutsche Post World Net acquired DHL in 2003. 'We painted all the MTR pillars with our new yellow and red corporate colours,' she said, triumphantly adding that it 'was a great exercise and we won a brand campaign award'.

One recurring key to success she has learnt is 'not to mind taking on extra work', explaining: 'That is how to learn more about a company or industry. When I was in marketing I also helped the general manager in reviewing performance and making presentations, worked closely with sales on strategies and even got involved in quality and operations management.'

Her enthusiasm clearly paid dividends. DHL finally gave her a shot at general management, heading the Taiwan operation as the first woman appointed to such a senior role in the Asia-Pacific region.

'That was a real challenge,' she remembered. 'For the first time I was looking after the whole operation.

'The first thing I had to do was learn to speak Mandarin well,' she said. 'I also put in a lot of effort respecting the culture. Joining in with their native singing and dancing at social events helped break the ice. I also introduced them to Hong Kong culture by bringing a roast piglet.'

During breaks, she would share lunch-boxes and play table tennis with the couriers. 'That's a big plus about being female - you can get closer to people.

'One of the underlying priorities I never lose sight of is that people are our biggest asset. If you strike a rapport with them, they treat the business more as their own,' she said. 'I want a workplace where people are respected and enjoy coming to work. It's important to motivate people and make everyone from drivers to managers feel they play a key role.

'Happy employees treated like a family member always work their best for you, leading to greater customer satisfaction. Taiwan was a tough assignment but very fulfilling. It taught me a lot, both about how to grow business and encourage loyalty.'

Success in Taiwan, guiding growth from single into double digits, paved the way for her return to Hong Kong, where DHL has its 'Central Asia SuperHub'. The giant US$210 million facility, scheduled for completion later this year, is the size of 120 tennis courts, serving over a hundred DHL flights a day, with over four kilometres of conveyor belts. It has a capacity to process 35,000 packages and parcels an hour, flown in from across Asia to be sorted overnight and sent on to their final destinations.

'The hub is a big vote of confidence in Hong Kong,' she said.

Her role as head of DHL Express, with 1,900 staff in Hong Kong and Macau, involves overseeing the entire business - from collections and deliveries by a fleet of 180 vans and trucks handling close to 14 million shipments last year, to sales and marketing, finance and IT.

Most recently she has been closely involved in DHL's new 'Three Rings' campaign. 'It's a bit of a bold idea,' she said. 'We promise to answer the phone by the time it rings three times.' Unlike many companies supposedly serving the public, DHL is also guaranteeing that calls are answered by a person.

'I completely understand how customers can be frustrated by answering machines,' she said, as a victim of the modern corporate disease herself. Her overriding role, however, is 'understanding the market and industry, to be able to capture opportunities to grow our business, market share and profit'.

Ms Tang stressed: 'This is very important to succeed as a general manager, so you can capitalise on opportunities when they become available. You also have to provide direction to employees, shoulder responsibilities, solve problems and make decisions.

'That's why I never underestimate the importance of communication with employees, making sure everyone shares our common goals and vision, to implement that as a strong team.'

She finds the air express business almost infectiously rewarding. 'If you see a market opportunity and steer the company in that direction, the improvement in performance appears almost immediately. The same goes for improving working conditions, with improved employee satisfaction surveys. You can always see when you are heading in the right direction,' she said.

Despite more airfreight being moved directly out of the Pearl River Delta from local airports, she also sees a bright future in Hong Kong's traditional role as a logistics hub. Two-thirds of DHL's Hong Kong business comes from the Pearl River Delta, which she expects to focus more and more on producing high-value goods, as mass market manufacturing retreats to lower-cost regions further inland.

'This will be good for Hong Kong, as we will continue to serve the high-value industry, which is exactly the segment the air express industry targets,' she added. 'While the industry growth may slow a little, we are still maintaining the double-digits enjoyed over the past five years, while also gaining market share. As China's amazing growth continues, increased trade with the rest of the world means more business for the air express industry.'

MOVING UP

High achiever

Connie Tang is the first woman general manager at DHL Express (Hong Kong)

Studied management at HKU, landing management traineeship with Swire Group

Switched to marketing, joining DHL and rising quickly to marketing director

First shot at general management was heading DHL's Taiwan operation

Key to success is 'not to mind taking on extra work ... to learn more about a company or industry'

Stepping Up

Supply Chain

Director/vice-president

$100,000 to $150,000

10 years or more

Senior manager

$58,000 to $83,000

Seven years

Manager

$41,000 to $58,000

Five years

Assistant manager

$29,000 to $41,000

Two to three years

Source: Michael Page