Michael Yue

The general manager of sales and operations at Google Hong Kong discusses “Googleyness”, his love of Marvel, and why reverse mentoring is key to building a great team

Michael Yue isn’t your run-of-the-mill boss, as you might expect for someone who leads a team at Google. Yue joined Google from Hewlett Packard Canada in 2011, and has accelerated the digital transformation of businesses in retail, e-commerce, media, entertainment and finance across the Asia-pacific (Apac) region. As well as having 20 years of experience in the field, Yue is passionate about mentoring young people to inspire and empower the next generation.

Here, he tells Tatler about the value of customer relationships, launching Google Pay in Singapore, and his affinity for the great outdoors.

My goal is to digitise Hong Kong for good. My team and I contribute to Hong Kong’s growth by helping local businesses find new ways to sustain and scale up, make information accessible for everyone, and help people develop digital skills. We also seek new collaborations to foster a more inclusive ecosystem that engages businesses, academia, policymakers, creators and developers. My priorities are to inspire and get people and businesses ready for a digital future.

I put my success down to being unconventional. My team and I like to tackle business the way our engineers tackle computer science: with data and a willingness to try new things and think outside the box.

Successful businesses require inclusivity, trust and employee engagement. These form a framework for a positive and supportive culture in which we interact with respect, consideration and empathy.

My parents are my mentors and they set a strong foundation. Their advice was always: “Why not give it a try?” They encouraged me to experiment and learn from mistakes. They ran a flower shop when I was small. Observing how they operated and built relationships with customers and the community helped to fuel my passion for business and building connections with people. Today, I have many mentors and I lean on them to provide guidance through different situations. I believe in reverse mentoring too: the idea that executives can learn from the next generation. Spending time with [younger people] and seeing how they interact with technology inspires me.

The first thing I look for in a potential employee is their “Googleyness”. It’s about curiosity, comfort with ambiguity, passion for the work, humility and collaboration. I also look for their ability to step in and lead but, just as critically, to step back and let someone else take the lead. Moreover, [I look for] general cognitive ability—not IQ, but learning ability—as well as role-related knowledge.

I am committed to empowering the team to do great things together. When I was young, I tried doing everything by myself, but then I learnt about the importance of delegating. As a leader, my priority is to inspire and empower individuals. We have a strong team of talented and passionate Googlers, so why not empower them to dream up incredible solutions to tough problems?

In 2016, we convinced the global headquarters to launch Google Pay in Singapore. We knew how important [digital] payments would become, and as the leader of the project, I reminded the team to think through priorities and seek alignment with all stakeholders, including the Singapore government. In the end, it became the first market in Apac to launch this service, which paved the way for successful launches across the region. Investing in skills like coaching, listening and public speaking has allowed me to work with teams across different locations and cultures.

Hong Kong people and businesses are resilient, creative and have an entrepreneurial mindset, which are important traits, especially at this time. Our teams encourage and empower individuals and businesses to thrive in the digital economy. The future is yours to create and I’m here to support it.