Deriving True Wealth from Making a Difference in Other People’s Lives

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By founding the charity “Youth Arch Foundation”, training local youth and personally visiting AIDS orphans in Mainland China, Norris exemplifies the concept of “influencing other people’s lives with her own”.

Changing Life’s Trajectory

Norris, who was dressed in a simple, white casual dress, has held key positions at various financial institutions in the US, UK and Hong Kong over the last two decades, including Guggenheim Partners and HSBC. However, she did not exude the aloofness of a dominant leader; rather, she recounted one life story after another with a warm smile and a gentle but assertive voice.

Before her family relocated to Hong Kong from Xiamen when she was seven years old, Norris’s father had been a doctor and her mother a teacher. On moving to Hong Kong, her parents became factory workers, and they lived in a small sublet flat. This transformative life change taught Norris that nothing is certain in life and that she must work hard to secure a better future. When she was in Form 4, she received the Hong Kong Outstanding Students Award. Norris didn’t attend prestigious schools like the other recipients, yet her unique affability earned her the nomination to lead the Hong Kong Outstanding Students’ Association. “People often say smart people are difficult to get along with,” she said. “Perhaps I lack that arrogance; I’ve always managed to make friends.”

Norris joked that she was a “gifted salesperson” who discovered her talent when she was young. During her first year at university, Norris took a summer job at IBM with a hope to finance her overseas exchange. She was put in charge of calling clients to promote the company’s products and services. In the span of a short summer holiday, she made sales worth tens of millions of dollars. Norris could have made a fortune if she had continued down the route of sales, but she refused to rest on her laurels, “It’s a waste of time doing what you are best at when you are young. If you want to be successful, you must learn a variety of skills. I always reflect on my weaknesses in order to make targeted improvements.”

As someone who is not proficient in maths, Norris deliberately studied various financial subjects to build up her competence. When she graduated from CUHK, she had already received several traineeship offers from investment banks and the HSBC Asset Management global programme. The former would immediately lead to a substantial salary and bonus, whereas the latter had only three quotas worldwide but required her to work in London, New York and Hong Kong, all of which came with their own set of uncertainties. At this daunting crossroads, Norris chose personal development over financial gain, “Going on exchanges in Mainland China and overseas allowed me to see my shortcomings and learn that there are always bigger fish in the sea. I was eager to visit new places, meet new people, learn new skills and broaden my international horizons.” Norris’s humble, inquisitive attitude led her around the world and propelled her to become a pioneer in alternative investment, generating massive profits for her companies while grooming future industry talent.

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