Kate Lorenz is the Managing Director and a Co–Founder of Ark International – an orientation and housing company based in Shanghai, China with a subsidiary office in Moscow, Russia. Kate is a Brit who grew up in Africa and the Middle East. She moved to China seven years ago and is now considered a leading expert in expatriate services in China.
ExpatWomen's Interview with Kate
ExpatWomen: Kate, let's start from the beginning. What took your parents abroad when you were young and how did growing up a global nomad affect your own life choices?
Kate:My father was offered an 18 month posting in Muscat before I was born and my parents felt it was an exciting opportunity. They went and never looked back. After Muscat they accepted a posting in Saudi for approximately 3 years, during which time I was born, then Malawi, where my sister was born, followed by Bahrain for over 13 years before their last move to Spain. I think growing up as a global nomad has influenced my life choices in every way possible.
Firstly, I have been lucky enough to see the world and understand that jumping on a plane or trying something new is always a possibility. I also enjoy the 'out of the ordinary' far more than routine. The worst that can happen is it doesn't work out, but at least you have tried. Obviously, that gets a little harder the more responsibilities you have, however I think in the world we live in almost anything is possible.
Secondly, as I never went to boarding school I had the great opportunity to go to an international school. Throughout my childhood my class would often have children from up to 14 different countries. Without realizing, you learn acceptance, tolerance and to celebrate the differences between people rather than fear them. It was sad when we left friends behind or friends left us, but the experience teaches you how to adapt and quickly meet new people.
Every summer we went 'home' to the UK. However, I have never really seen the UK as home. (I also can't deal with cold weather!) Although I am a British passport holder and have a British sense of humour from my parents, that's about as strong as my ties to the UK are! For me home is wherever I live with my husband and where my parents are, regardless of the country. This has greatly influenced my life choices, and it was one of the main reasons I moved to China.
ExpatWomen: Why did you relocate to China seven years ago and what inspired you to set up Ark International in 2005?
Kate:My now husband always planned to move to China after his studies (he studied Chinese and lived in Beijing for a period). We finished at the same time and although I had a job in London I decided to see what China was like. In 2002 I moved to Shanghai without being to China before. Neither of us had jobs, but quickly found suitable positions and never looked back. I fell in love with the buzz of the city, the community and endless opportunities.
After being in Shanghai for a few years, we realized that although there were some excellent competitors in the market, there was still room for another destination service provider with excellent customer service.
Also the fact that, even though I have been an expat my entire life, I had found moving to Shanghai somewhat challenging made me realize that for many the move here must be very tough. Therefore, I and my partners felt that my experience in Shanghai and as an expat would give us an edge over some of our competitors.
Additionally, my parents have been involved in property management for many years and so with the background in property and the support from my partners, we set–up Ark, which I still manage.
ExpatWomen: Please tell us more about Ark International and its services.
Kate: Ark International is here to assist our clients successfully relocate their expatriates to China. We do this by assisting the expatriate and their family to decide whether China is a place they could live, and once they make the decision we're here to help them make China their home.
For the individual and their family the move can often be a daunting prospect. The transition can often be overwhelming. Ark International offers support and understanding with these entry–barriers and is ready to assist the individual and the HR partner wherever needed.
We do this by providing services such as city orientation, school search, home search, immigration, settling–in support, spousal support, tenancy management and departure services.
ExpatWomen:What have been some of the biggest obstacles you have faced in setting up and successfully running your business?
Kate:There have been many and we're always learning!
One of the reasons we set up Ark is that customer service is often weak in China. Frequently people promise lots, and deliver little. A big challenge was and still is, instilling the core principles of customer service into every member of the team and those of our partners. One of the ways we've been able to do this successfully is creating official and detailed processes for everything we do. There is quite a lot of micro managing going on! As we grow this decreases, but I do believe there is an element of micro–management that is very effective in China, particularly when you're in the service industry.
Retention remains one of the biggest challenges for foreign invested companies investing in China. In order to avoid these problems from the beginning I set out to develop an innovative retention strategy for small businesses in China which includes two way relationships with managers, promotion from within on merit rather than time, extensive and fun team building and work day flexibility. I have sought to build a family style of management which even includes providing freshly cooked lunch for all team members every day in our headquarters and fostering supportive communications from management and between team members. We do have staff turnover, but it's limited and this is one of our key strengths.
Setting up legally in Shanghai takes a serious amount of paper work and time. My husband was and still is integral in the legal and financial side of running Ark. Outsourcing a portion of our accounting and HR was a great decision and has made our life easier.
ExpatWomen:What networking groups or avenues have been the most fruitful for you and/or your current business?
Kate:The Chambers of Commerce have provided some excellent opportunities for us. I have been a member of the British Chamber of Commerce for a number of years and have always found this useful. There are also some good networking groups such as EPWS which we have utilized in the past. International organizations are also very helpful such as ERC and EURA.However, in the past the majority of our clientele has come from referrals and return clients. This is a key strength and has helped us grow during the past 4 years.
ExpatWomen:A destination services business, such as yours, seems like a natural fit for an expatriate who has relocated. What would be your advice to any expatriate women who might like to follow in your footsteps?
Kate:It's important to know your destination. Being an expat is a big asset, but understanding the issues of the specific destination you work within is even more important.
With all businesses, build a team of people who have the skills that complement yours.
Finally, make sure you like customer service and want to help people! It really is a people business and if you can't deal with fixing problems on a daily basis then it's definitely not the job for you! However, if you do, then definitely set it up. It's such a rewarding business. When a client is happy and has settled–in there's nothing better than getting the feedback and knowing your team has been integral in the success of the relocation.
ExpatWomen:Kate, thank you very much for your time and best wishes for the ongoing success of Ark International.
