Faced with the revelation that she had become so consumed with her career as a Shanghai-based information technology consultant in the then dazzling new world of digital media that she had lost perspective on the core of human existence, she resigned, returned to Hong Kong and then went to Inner Mongolia to work on community projects raising funds for small children.

'I started working with the women there. In Inner Mongolia it's the women who look after education because almost all of the men will have gone to work in the mines. The only time the father returns is either when he retires or because he has died.'

What these women faced was something outside Lau's experience or imagination. Members of a culture under profound threat from both the increasing influence of the Han Chinese and the desertification of the traditional Great Plains, they nonetheless seemed to embrace each day with new energy as though everything was possible again. To Lau, this was inconceivable.

'I asked them how they could be like that. What they said to me was: 'When you push harder, life just pushes back twice as hard'. I'd heard that a million times before, but that was when I truly got the meaning of that lesson.'

And so this unassuming, but exceptional, woman added to an already formidable array of negotiating skills one vital extra gift: the ability to go with the flow.

She returned to Hong Kong in 2004, headhunted to run the non-profit Junior Achievement organisation, which delivers Activity Space programmes of practical work experience to secondary school and tertiary students. The programmes focus on four areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, financial management and life/work values.

To give a flavour of how Activity Space programmes work, Lau cited just one: the company programme. In this scheme, two business volunteers lead a group of 20 to 25 high school students for 18 weeks through the whole cycle of how to form a business plan, raise capital, with a limit of HK$5,000, and design, develop and bring a product to market.

There are 75 groups taking part in the programme.

The climax comes at Christmas when all the groups display their finished products for sale at an exhibition and sales fair on the main plaza underneath the HSBC Building in Central.

As they have shareholders, they have to hold annual general meetings and, at the end of the 18 weeks, liquidate the company. 'This isn't talking, this is doing,' Lau said.

Having accepted the challenge of Junior Achievement, she also took on the role of chief executive of Hong Kong Petrochemical, a polystyrene specialist with its headquarters in Kowloon.

That she made a success of this in parallel with Junior Achievement will surprise no one who knows her.

Asked why she took the job, she explained with typical elegance and humour.

'Junior Achievement is all about enabling people to be financially responsible. If I worked full-time and only for Junior Achievement, I'm afraid I would not be demonstrating very good financial responsibility.'

As to how she managed to wear both hats without both getting damaged, her explanation was candid and considered. 'I can do it because I'm CEO of both organisations. I couldn't do it if I were in middle management. Being CEO means I can shift things around to optimise my efficiency. I couldn't do it if the roles were too similar. But because Junior Achievement and my other company are so different, I can bring new energy to both of them.'

Lau described herself as someone who 'believes to see' rather than 'sees to believe'. It is perhaps the clearest indication that the true key to her achievements is her conviction in the missions she takes on and her extraordinary capacity for attracting others to share in them.

In 2004, when she joined Junior Achievement, its handful of volunteers delivered programmes to some 300 students.

Last year, more than 23,000 received programmes delivered from a database of more than 7,000 volunteers. All the funds needed for these programmes were sourced from Hong Kong companies.

That's not a bad track record for someone who likes to go with the flow.

Judge's Comments

Our judging panel was unanimously impressed by the accomplishments of the winner of this year's Professional of the Year award. She is the full-time chief executive of not just one, but two organisations; and led both to unprecedented results. As the chief executive of Junior Achievement, a non-profit organisation dedicated to serving young people through entrepreneurial activities-based programmes, she affected the lives of many young people. The programme reached 70,000 students from 300 schools with the support of more than 6,000 volunteers. More than 500 companies, many through her personal engagement, are now in partnership with Junior Achievement. Her other chief executive's role is no less challenging. Hong Kong Petrochemical is a manufacturer of polystyrene. She led the company to weather the unusual challenges faced by the industry as its material costs fluctuated with the price of crude oil. In this male-dominated industry, she came out as a leader and spokeswoman. While it doesn't seem possible, she also found time to help start a loan and grant programme to finance talented students on the mainland, who otherwise could not afford university education. She is a leader, a role model and a mentor to many young men and women.

Sheila Chuang, Chair of the Judges 2009