Add Horsepower to Your Career: Building a World-Class Talent Ecosystem

When searching for the next big step in your career, finding an organisation that offers both significant global scale and a profound commitment to the community is a rare discovery. Today's top talent is looking for more than just a standard corporate ladder; they want a dynamic environment where bold ideas are transformed into meaningful progress, and where everyday work directly contributes to the betterment of society. One iconic brand is currently setting the gold standard for this exact combination, experiencing a period of ambitious expansion that is turning heads across multiple industries.

Far beyond its traditional racing roots, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is rapidly evolving into a world-class sports and entertainment organisation powered by unprecedented talent. This past year has been defined by incredible momentum, innovative strategies, and a drive to shape the future.

Securing Visionary Leadership

To drive this transformation, a clear talent strategy is an essential step. Dr. Lake Wang, Executive Director, People and Organisational Development of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, emphasises that talent acquisition acts as a critical starting point for the Club. "We need to really focus on promoting and attracting high-quality talent to work for the Jockey Club," Dr. Wang notes. When building this world-class team, performance and potential are vital, but shared values remain the ultimate benchmark. "More importantly, we hire for culture fit," he stresses. " Therefore, we actively seek individuals whose values and behaviors naturally resonate with our purpose and culture." This standard ensures that every new joiner not only has the personal drive to deliver outstanding performance but also shares the Club's profound commitment to the community.

Paul Hotchan, Head of Talent Acquisition, perfectly captures this transformative energy. "Across our Talent Acquisition teams, we've accelerated, innovated, and brought in exceptional people who are helping shape the Club's future," he says. "From overcoming new challenges to turning bold ideas into meaningful impact, this year has been all about momentum and the progress we've made together with our partners, candidates and communities". Paul notes that connecting passion with purpose is how the team is "building a world-class organisation powered by world-class talent".

To elevate the Club's long-term success, securing the right leadership is paramount. Beyond recruiting top talent locally, the Club actively brings in leaders with international vision and professional expertise from the Chinese Mainland and across the globe. This approach aims to explore broader, more diverse talent resources that complement the rich talent pools locally and in the Mainland. Steve Taylor, Deputy Executive Manager of Executive Talent Acquisition, emphasises the importance of this global vision. "Working closely with our Senior Leadership, our Executive Talent Acquisition team has been busy bringing in world-class leaders—people with passion, global vision, and the expertise to elevate the Club's long-term success," Steve explains. He adds that these leaders "help drive a high-performance, purpose-driven culture that supports Hong Kong, and the Greater Bay Area."

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Fueling Unprecedented Growth and Expansion

The sheer scale of the Club’s growth is striking. Tina Lee, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition, highlights her department’s remarkable achievements. "This year, our small-but-mighty team of eight delivered over 100 recruitment days across Hong Kong and hired 3,200 part-time and 400 full-time colleagues," Tina shares. She proudly notes that their "talent-seeking" footprint now extends well beyond Hong Kong to recruit diverse professionals. This includes strengthening their talent network through closer partnerships with the Hong Kong SAR Government to attract high-calibre talent to the Club, as well as undertaking a number of overseas recruitment trips to bring trainees and interns into the Club.

This influx of talent is directly fuelling major operational expansions. According to Larissa Lo, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition, the team is welcoming a diverse range of expertise to drive the sports wagering business and support the development of a world-class equine industry. This includes the reopening of the Pok Fu Lam Public Riding School, the redevelopment of Penfold Park with family-friendly equine experiences, and the highly anticipated world-class race venue in Conghua opening in October 2026. "In the Year of the Horse, we're excited to bring our racing heritage and entertainment experience to the Chinese Mainland like never before," Larissa states.

Innovating Through Technology and Philanthropic Purpose

Behind the scenes, HKJC relies on a powerful engine of innovative technology and philanthropic purpose. Celeste Mak, Manager of Talent Acquisition, points out that their IT recruitment truly spans the globe. "We tap into diverse online and offline channels to reach talent from many different countries," she explains. This reach has allowed the Club to bring in best-in-class talents who are "already helping us build a strong, innovative, and collaborative IT community that will enable the success of our exciting technology transformation programme over the next few years!".

On the philanthropic side, the focus is just as strong. Susanna Leung, Manager of Talent Acquisition, pointed to a recent success: "One highlight for us this year was our new Charities recruitment webinar, a fresh and creative way to reach diverse talent and strengthen our employer brand". By sharing inspiring career-transition stories from Charities colleagues, Susanna says they showed participants that "joining the Club means being able to directly make an impact that lasts".

Empowering the Next Generation

To ensure long-term leadership capability, HKJC is highly focused on Early Careers. "In Early Careers, we're shaping the Club's future by empowering the next generation," says Geenia Au, Senior Manager of Early Careers Programme. "We attract exceptional young talent from around the world and help them grow their careers right here at the Club". Through Management Trainee and Internship Programmes, alongside a strong focus on inclusivity, Geenia notes they are "building a robust leadership pipeline that supports the Club and contributes to the betterment of society".

Connecting with this next generation requires a strong digital presence. Vanessa Chiang, Manager of Talent Acquisition, explains that their HKJC Careers channels are actively engaging global and local talent, especially Gen Z and Millennials. "With over 250 bilingual posts featuring employee stories and recruitment updates, we're building trust, strengthening our employer brand, and showing the world what it's like to grow a career at the Club," Vanessa shares.

A World-Class Destination for Talent

As the HKJC continues to innovate, its overarching mission remains clear. Chris Wright, Executive Manager of Talent Acquisition, sums up the year's success perfectly. "As the Club continues to evolve into a world-class sports and entertainment organization, our focus remains on attracting and retaining top talent, continuing as trusted talent advisors to our stakeholders and creating opportunities for everyone to contribute to the betterment of society!" he states.

Following a fantastic year of incredible work, Paul Hotchan and his team have one clear message for prospective candidates: "Add Horsepower to your Career!".

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