Innovative 'chef' with a balanced, 'ready-to-go meal'

Following latest trends

That bears down very much on Metta's foundation — always going forward and keeping itself updated. Li thought it's yet another recipe for the company's hard-earned growth even when its offline business began taking a hit.

"It's in our genes to challenge ourselves," said Li, indicating the company's stamina to leap out of the comfort zone, keeping its finger on the pulse about the latest trends and being adjustable.

To take the game to the next level, Li promoted young blood, such as post-80 and even post-90 colleagues in the team, to management positions in a renewed effort to keep the wheels turning and the ball rolling.

Li said the company's model of providing readily available services was like having fine dining in a restaurant.

Cooking by oneself requires tiresome steps, such as scouting for materials, plus a time-consuming and costly process without any guarantee about the quality of the end product.

By comparison, it may sound like a much wiser idea if diners chose to go to a restaurant with all the delicious dishes ready to be served.

That's the type of product Li's company has been providing to its clients — a "ready-to-go meal" with Michelin stars to the market, instead of just raw materials.

Adding to it are the members of a talented team who understand multiple languages and, therefore, understand customers from multiple cultures.

Born on the Chinese mainland, Li studied in Hong Kong and had worked in various major cities worldwide. She perfectly mirrors the diversification of the team.

What's more, she also epitomized the passion the team has along the journey.

Majoring in international trade and economy, Li launched her career path in a position that had little to do with her field of expertise — a sports marketing manager.

Driven by interest and enthusiasm, she ended up in an industry that she didn't see coming years ago, and her experience is shared by many of her colleagues.

Most of the time, from Li's perspective, serving clients is "all about the culture and the background" as they "cook" for the market, which is why the team's diversified lineup, skilled on multiple fronts, is capable of serving clients from nearly every nook and corner on the planet.

"The market landscape has changed so tremendously, for individual clients, they're not able to understand every area of the aspect," said Li.

"We're, again, a 'chef' to cook every ingredient and every single sauce to make sure the dish is balanced and delicious."