Corliss Ruggles is the Managing Director – Head of Communications and Human Resources at ASIFMA. In her Spotlight Series Interview, she talks about her diverse career in communications, her journey in finance, and exciting personal projects.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself
I came to Hong Kong just two weeks after I graduated from university in Canada in search of opportunities to kick start my career. Almost 27 years later, I’m still here but now with a husband, two kids and several dogs! After trying a few different roles in the beginning – from golf course marketing to hotel PR to event management – I sort of fell into financial communications through an unexpected opportunity, and have been in it ever since. I’m now a financial communications professional with over 20 years of experience and have had the privilege of working with some of the most prominent global firms.
2. What is one characteristic you would say that all women in finance share?
In my opinion, women in the financial world tend to be extremely efficient with time management, because I think in order to thrive and succeed, you really need to be. It’s always so impressive to me how these women can effectively juggle so many responsibilities and roles in both their professional and personal lives.
3. Think back to when you were starting out your career. What advice would you give your younger self?
Definitely to be open to all career possibilities and not be too linear in my thinking – some of the greatest opportunities can come from where you least expect it. Also, not to underestimate the power of networking. Often times, your most effective career contacts are ones that are not necessarily your closest so it’s good to keep expanding.
4. Aside from work, what are your other passions
My personal “passion project” developed from my need to elevate my social media skills for work which has been a bit of a challenge for me. So, to make it more of a fun experiment, I decided to dive in with something I thought was interesting. I started an online community on Facebook called Staycation Scoop which connects people interested in various hotel offers in Hong Kong and enables the sharing of views and information. Given the current travel restrictions, I thought there would be an interest in this kind of platform (at the very least I was interested in it myself!). While it was a slow burn at first and I sort of fumbled through things, it has taken off and I’m gaining new skills every day. Through this project, I have not only learned by doing, but also learned that I actually really enjoy social media work.