KSS April eKourier 2024

WHO’S WHO

10 QUESTIONS... With Kaio Tang - Centre Manager Guildford

and family - but we do try to catch up with each other a few times a year. We are still trying to arrange that elusive trip where we can escape for a week. What is your favourite food? I live for food and eat like a horse. If I had to pick a favourite cuisine it would be Japanese. My most memorable culinary experiences have been at a Japanese restaurant, although smashing plates at a Greek restaurant at the end of the night is very satisfying. Do you have a favourite holiday destination or holiday you have taken? London and the UK. It was my home for ten years and my son was born in London. Also, it is a part of the world rich in history. I always like going back there. In saying that, one memorable trip I had was to New York in 2001. The company I worked for had just completed a commercial for Nintendo and because of delays in post-produc- tion, the Production Assistant and myself had to deliver the finished product to the agency and client. I was booked to deliver to the client in New York. The flight to NY was very eventful. Experiencing major turbulence, as the whole of the east coast was battered by heavy storms we were turned away from JFK. To cut a long story short I landed at JFK at 3am. I delivered the tape and after spent a couple of days exploring NY. I remember most the photo I took of down town NY with the Twin Towers in the middle of the frame. The Twin Towers looked ghostly. Five months later they would be gone. What message do you want to pass onto the younger generation? See life through a wide-angle lens, look beyond yourself, care about people and the world. Develop good work ethics, stay true to yourself and your values. To sum up KSS in one word would be? Dynamic

Kaio with her son Caleb in 2011

music, or catching up on the latest drama or movie. I like to stay curious about people, the world and beyond. Name a person who has inspired you both professionally and personally? A special shout out to Irish actor, Cillian Murphy. In 2009, Cillian came to the production office I was working at to do some casting. I called Cillian by name several times, he eventu- ally piped up and said to me under his breath, “My name is pronounced ‘Kil-li- an.’” I felt rather mortified with myself. Cillian did not get the role. It went to Henry Cavill (that’s another story!). Fifteen years later Cillian has won the Best Actor Award at the Academy Awards. To me he has come a long way since that day when he was still a fairly unknown actor. Self-development and success take time, but as Cillian has demonstrated, can be achieved. I also learnt from this seemingly trivial mistake…Pay attention to the little details - they really do matter. I have a close-knit family. I have three sisters, two of whom are familiar to KSS. Currently I live with my parents and son. My son is in his final year of high school. My friends are fortunately the same friends I have had since high school. We are generally in similar circumstances, occupied with work Tell us about your family and friends?

What year did you start at KSS and what did you do before joining KSS? I joined KSS in November 2016. Before joining KSS I worked briefly at Oz Design Furniture, which was my first retail job and provided me with some new skills and preparation for KSS. Prior to this I had worked 12 years in commercials and film production in Sydney and London. What would you say is the best part of your job? The team and people I work with. When you have a team that operates like a well-oiled machine it makes your job that much easier. Out of all the changes you have seen take place at KSS over the years, what do you think has been the biggest game changer? Digital Agreements has been a massive game changer to the core business. Allowing customers to complete an agreement in their own time and at their own pace has streamlined the moving in process and made it more efficient. How do you spend your time outside of KSS? Outside of KSS I am a mum and a carer to my parents, which keeps me very busy. However, I do take whatever opportunity I can get to have time to myself. I spend it reading, listening to

5 Kennards Kourier April 2024