Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Country Director Ms. Jo Tse finds that growing Motorola Solutions’ sales in a time of disruption and transformation is much easier when you have the right people working with you.

When Jo Tse, Country Director – HK, MO & TW, joined Motorola Solutions in 2018, she was joining a company she had long admired and was known throughout the industry as being a reliable partner. She was taking the lead of a team of 50 long-serving, full-time employees who are deeply entrenched in their customers’ operations and inner workings as well as more than 30 partners that have been building Motorola Solutions’ product business for decades. But they were on the cusp of a change in business paradigm.

It is during a crisis that a radio system’s reliability is highlighted. TETRA’s digital technology provides superior audio clarity with immediate voice transmission, minimizing the risk of miscommunications. Its back-up system and public address capability also enhance operational safety.

“Even before I joined, I knew that Motorola Solutions was not a large company in Hong Kong, but it has a large presence. I found that very impressive.”

Pride Keeps People Motivated 

There are quite a few factors behind the Hong Kong office’s success. Even during the most challenging of business environments, Motorola Solutions was able to identify and seize the opportunities that emerged because of the deep relationships Jo’s colleagues have with their clients, many of which can be measured in at least a decade if not more.

Coming into a position of leadership of a team of seasoned professionals would have been intimidating for most, but Jo said it’s a testament to her team’s dedication and pride in the company that everyone in her team was very supportive.

Everyone has been committed to the company for so long. They’re all very proud of working for Motorola Solutions and the clients we serve, which are all companies that touch our daily lives.” For example, MTRC and public safety departments have been long-time clients. In Macau, 90% of the hospitality industry uses our TETRA systems. 

Trust Empowers & Lightens the Load

Jo fully trusts her teammates to work independently to achieve their business goals. After all, many have worked at Motorola Solutions for their entire career and have extensive knowledge and experience. “Leading the team is about empowering each of my colleagues so they can shine,” says Jo.

This ability to trust made her job less challenging during the recent pandemic years. And being one of the few female executives in the company, she has felt nothing but supported.

“We’ve had growth these last two years; and it’s all because of my colleagues. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to achieve work-life balance as a mother. They’re very proactive. We all share a common goal, and we work as a team to achieve that.” 

An Inclusive Work Culture Retains Experience

While Motorola Solutions is working on achieving greater gender balance in its offices around the world by actively recruiting employees from diverse backgrounds, including more female employees, Jo points out that Motorola Solutions offices in Asia generally have a higher proportion of female employees than in other offices such as in the US.

One of the ways Motorola Solutions is able to attract and retain employees, regardless of gender, is by creating a culture of work-life balance. In the early days of the pandemic, it was easy for her colleagues to transition to remote work, because they were already used to that mode of working, which had contributed to everyone’s ability to balance the demands of work and family life. “This is one aspect that makes Motorola Solutions a good employer,” Jo explains.

Experience Speeds Motorola Solutions’ Transformation into a Technology Company

Having an experienced team made managing Motorola Solutions’ transition from a product-focused company to a software solutions based services company a lot more seamless.

“I was really surprised by the team’s ability to adapt. Our employees have built up deep decades-long relationships with our customers, who deal with mission critical and dynamic situations. Our team members are used to meeting our customer’s changing needs,” Jo explains.

Expanding Software & Video Analytics Solutions

The tricky part is communicating to clients the full range of services Motorola Solutions now offers. For example, when Jo joined in 2018, Motorola Solutions’ acquisition of video analytics company Avigilon was still being completed. Since then, Motorola Solutions has acquired 12 more video analytics companies. It’s not as simple as selling a product or a service. 

“To be honest, our positioning as a supplier of reliable mission critical communications systems hasn’t changed. But with reliability, comes the image of mature and traditional. What we need to communicate to our clients is that we are a technology company that can deliver innovative software solutions as well as reliable equipment.”

Motorola Solutions’ deep involvement with clients allows us to understand what frontline staff need to be more effective in their daily operations.

“We want to deploy solutions for our customers that can really help them. My colleagues are a part of the client’s team; they understand their language and the way the organization works. This kind of knowledge can’t be replaced. This is what makes our growth sustainable. And because Hong Kong is so small geographically, we can be really responsive and deliver our services in a very timely fashion,” Jo explains.

Hong Kong Leading the Next 50 Years

Next year, Motorola Solutions Hong Kong will celebrate 50 years of business that has supported the city’s growth and kept its residents safe. As Motorola Solutions enters the next 50 years, it is well positioned to expand its business in new directions with an increasingly more diverse, but no less dedicated and adaptable, team of employees.