Goodbye San Francisco, Hello Hong Kong

Discover his experiences at the AXA Lab in San Francisco as the Great Global Adventurer and what the future holds for him now:

I had the privilege to intern with AXA Lab in San Francisco. AXA Lab is AXA’s digital innovation sourcing unit that focuses on accelerating the business transformation of AXA Group.
The Lab has four key missions:

• To build stronger connections with tech players from Silicon Valley.
• To detect trends and identify potential partnerships with start-ups.
• To foster digital culture and innovation within AXA Group.
• To initiate pilots with the most promising start-ups.

By shadowing the team and conducting my own independent research (published in my weekly LinkedIn AXA Lab Experience posts) I have been able to develop my understanding of AXA’s digital innovation strategies and to delve deeper into the new disruptive technologies and trends that are impacting insurance, such as The Internet of Things and the On-Demand Economy.
I also had the chance to be part of AXA’s 2016 Corporate Responsibility Week. The AXA Lab team and I spent some time volunteering with GLIDE, a San Francisco-based charity that aims to alleviate the suffering caused by homelessness.
It was a very humbling experience and we were grateful to be able to serve over 730 hot meals to the homeless community.

An experience I’ll never forget

Being the AXA Great Global Adventurer has been an honour and provided me with a year full of exciting and unforgettable experiences. I will always remember watching the sun set on the Great Wall of China in Beijing, drinking tea and swapping stories in Russian with a Mongolian nomad called Namjilmaa in her Ger Camp, in -35 degrees Ulanbataar, and hearing the deafening roar of the colossal Iguassu Falls in Argentina. I have been honoured to truly see the beauty and diversity of the world.
The Great Global Adventure has also made me more of a Global Citizen. It’s given me the chance to embrace diversity, to become better equipped with unpredictability and to engage with people from all over the world with different backgrounds. From farmers in Peru to the CEOs of multi-billion dollar companies in San Francisco, each person that I’ve met has contributed to my thinking and to my development as a young person.

And of course, the internships! Both internships at AXA have been priceless. I have had two very diverse experiences, from being with AXA Investment Managers in Hong Kong where I had direct exposure to the advancing investment frontier of Asia and now being at the forefront of technological advances with AXA Lab in San Francisco.
Both internships have developed my skills, provided me with invaluable contacts and given me a greater understanding of just how diverse AXA is and how they value being a fiduciary to their clients. Most importantly, it’s left me wanting to discover more!

And this is only the beginning…

Although this is the end of my AXA Great Global Adventure, I am delighted to report that this is just the beginning of my AXA Adventure! Later this year I will be joining AXA Hong Kong’s Digital Team on their Graduate Program. I am very excited to be starting my career with AXA, to be back in Hong Kong and to be contributing towards AXA’s growing presence in Asia.

I am hoping that I will be able to show the next Great Global Adventurer around Hong Kong soon!
So, the adventure continues. I’d like to take a quick moment to thank AXA, the Great Global Adventure team and everyone who has been following my journey around the world. It has been a huge honour to be the first Great Global Adventurer and to have had your attention. I hope that my photos, videos and blogs have inspired you to see the world, to embrace its diversity and to learn more about the amazing opportunities that AXA can offer.

Thank you and best of luck to the next winner, Chelsie!