Hong Kong 30 Under 30 2016

Founder, GoGENIE

Hongkonger Mary Cheung is the founder of GoGENIE, an app that allows temporary and part-time workers to search for jobs while also allowing employers to search for staff.

For the architecture graduate — who was running an organic vino skincare brand in China when she decided to launch the app — it wasn’t exactly the path she envisioned. “I knew I wanted to do something big and leave a positive impact, but this was totally different from what I imagined.”

So how did it all happen? “More and more people are looking for flexibility in a job but there’s no good platform for temps and part-time work,” she explains. “The problem is that there’s huge mismatch between employers’ and jobseekers’ expectations and availability.”

“Imagine meeting your Tinder date for the first time, it’s a disaster, and all you want to do is leave — but you’ll end up wasting another 20 minutes on it.”  

With the worldwide trend of workers looking for jobs with more flexible hours, the app has expanded internationally since its launch a year ago — but Cheung says it’s “the little things” that thrill her. “I’m always happy when jobseekers and employers take the moment to message us privately to say thank you.”

Her very first job? She worked as an architecture assistant.