THe IBM way

c h a p t e r 1
a determined
c h a p t e r 3 : t h e 1 9 7 0 s
Barely a decade after the end of the Second World War, the company that
was to become one of Hong Kong’s most distinguished names was launched
IBM’s Hong Kong odyssey began on a balmy
day in April 1957 when Mr Pun-Fong Pong,
who had previously looked after IBM’s
China business, established a 400 square-
foot office in Room 403 of the Wing On Life Build-
ing in Central. The previous year, Mr Pong had
set up a similar operation in Taiwan that initially
managed the Hong Kong activities.
On that first spring morning there was a sense
of eagerness as sales representative Richard Wai,
administrator John Ho, engineer Kam Leung and
secretary Ivy Wu began working from the new
office. The four friends and colleagues started a
legacy that for half a century has seen IBM provid-
ing technology and solutions to improve efficiency
and productivity for government and business,
while transforming the quality of life for individu-
als and the Hong Kong community at large.
Applying can-do spirit and hard work – two of
the essential human factors behind any business
success – the close-knit team set about establish-
ing the IBM name and building a reputation for
supplying high-quality products supported by
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