Blog Details
- Home
- Treat Data Privacy Seriously
Alaya Consulting is a specialist consultancy focusing on ESG reporting, pre-assurance and sustainability training.
Alaya Consulting is a specialist consultancy focusing on ESG reporting, pre-assurance and sustainability training.
Associate consultant
Ruby Fang joined Alaya Consulting as an associate consultant in hopes to promote corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Her main role includes day-to-day client communication, data management and preparation of reports. She graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with a major in Environmental Sciences and a minor in Social Sciences. Ruby has also completed the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) accreditation training.
Associate consultant
I joined Alaya Consulting with an interest in environmental protection and sustainable development, hoping to provide better solutions for different companies, promoting sustainable development and achieving carbon neutrality. I was mainly responsible for data collection, environmental disclosure, carbon audits and assisting in the preparation of reports. I am fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. I graduated with a master’s degree in environmental engineering and management from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric science from Nanjing University. I am also a yoga enthusiast.
Associate consultant
Xiaotong is responsible for handling data collection, writing ESG reports, and day-to-day client communications. She also assists with ESG disclosures and client support. She obtained her Master of Chemical Engineering in Shenzhen University, with a longterm focus on environmental pollutant assessment.
She also graduated in Bachelor of Engineering Science from Chang’an University, majoring in water pollution management.
Intern
Alisa Lam is an intern working at Alaya consulting during her gap year. She plans on studying Politics, International Relations and Global Sustainable Development at Warwick University in 2022. She has a keen interest in understanding what makes the best sustainability report, promoting corporate social responsibility and learning how to tailor sustainable strategies for different companies. She understands that implementing environmental and social policies is crucial in building a successful and resilient enterprise in today’s world. She is responsible for writing and revising reports as well as doing research for Alaya.
Management Trainee
Gabriel joined Alaya Consulting as a management trainee, responsible for conducting ESG advisory and reporting along with assisting the business development and marketing team.
He graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree of science majored in Environmental Science. Gabriel understands that working towards improving environmental and social issues is fundamental to building a sustainable and successful business. He would like to make a positive impact by joining the ESG advisory industry.
Associate consultant
Better ESG management shapes a more resilient and sustainable future.
Responsible for handling social data collection and analysis; Assist in preparing the sustainability report and daily communications with clients; Advise clients on ESG- related issues to optimize ESG disclosure and improve ESG performance.
Graduated from Uppsala University in Sweden with a master's degree in business and economics. Master thesis themed in green finance.
Associate Consultant
Eason joined Alaya Consulting as an associate consultant, responsible for preparing ESG reports. He is passionate about sustainability and eager in helping enterprises to improve their ESG performance. He graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in science, major in Earth System Science and minor in Biology. Eason’s hobbies are playing table tennis and playing the guitar.
Consultant
Alva Yeung is keen in helping companies create sustainability strategies to help mitigate environment and social impact. Coming from an international relations background, she is familiar with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, UN Global Compact and other international initiatives. She is also responsible for social data analysis, facilitating stakeholder communication, ESG report writing and day-to-day client communication. Alva has completed the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) accreditation training.
Alva obtained her Master of International Relations and Public Affairs in University of Hong Kong and Bachelor Degree in City University of Hong Kong, major in Asian and International Studies.
Business Development and Marketing Manager
Sunny joined Alaya in 2020 with a goal to bolster ESG and sustainability in Hong Kong.
He works with Alaya to develop and promote its initiatives such as HERA and ESG Newswire.
He also works with existing and new partners to collaborate and host events promoting ESG strategy and disclosure.
Sunny has great plans to design and develop Alaya’s own ESG rating system in the coming future.
Born in India, bred in Hong Kong, and a bachelor’s degree from NYU, Sunny comes from a rich and diverse range of experiences.
He majored in Finance and Marketing and minored in Social Entrepreneurship.
He co-founded his own social enterprise, Grounded Upcycling, in New York that upcycles spent coffee grounds into soap and face masks.
In his free time, Sunny likes to go hiking, read, or play Squash!
Founder
Tony is the founder of Alaya Consulting Limited. With more than 16 years of experience in advising C-suite executives, both in-house and from the client side, he is particularly experienced in the development of corporate sustainability strategies, training, communication and ESG reporting approaches.
Tony works with client companies to help them improve disclosure levels and ESG ratings. Recent clients include AAC Technologies, CIMC, Panda Green Energy, Chiho Environmental Group, Integrated Waste Management, Baguio, MicroPort, Tianjin Port and others. Recent projects include organising the Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards, contributing to the development of industry best practices.
Tony is a Chartered Company Secretary, a GRI Nominated Trainer, a carbon audit professional accredited by the Association of Energy Engineers, a Practitioner of Institute of Environmental Management Association and a certified sustainability assurance practitioner. He has also successfully completed the practitioner training of Integrated Reporting.
Prior to setting up Alaya, Tony assumed senior roles in various leading communications agencies and a Fortune top 10 financial services group. Before embarking on his career in communications, Tony spent a number of years in banking and financial journalism. He received a master’s degree in Corporate Governance from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a bachelor’s degree in International Business from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Treat Data Privacy Seriously
Data privacy is a particularly sensitive issue because it has everything to do with trust. Data provided to you in trust carries with it the responsibility to appropriately use, protect, and keep private. But what happens when that trust breaks down? When you have failed expectations by letting sensitive personal data fall into the hands of others without consequence? Make no mistake, data privacy is material to companies large or small (even to us), and as long as you collect any personal data in any form, the same applies to you. Don’t let the lessons of Facebook and the Hong Kong Broadband Network go to waste. Here are 4 basic steps that you’ll need to take in order to properly address the risks of data privacy breaches.
TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOUR DATA PRIVACY POLICIES
Quick recap : Data Privacy refers to an organisation’s capacity to determine what data is collected, and what can or cannot be shared with third parties.
What is within, and what is beyond, your control. Your data privacy policies are well within your control, so starting there is a no-brainer. This includes having a good understanding of your own data. Ask yourself :
Understand the data you have like the back of your hand and make sure your collection and management processes are compliant with local regulation (such as the Personal Data Ordinance in Hong Kong). But don’t stop there. Make sure this is also enforced consistently throughout your company through leadership, training, and awareness programs. Couple all that with a privacy policy that’s transparent, comprehensive, and easily accessible, and you’ve got a good foundation of trust to build upon when your prospective customers hand you their data.
BEEF UP YOUR SECURITY
What is sometimes beyond your control however is the matter of data security. Sad to say, there is no such thing as 100% security. But that certainly doesn’t mean you should make it easy. At minimum, have a data security system in place that complies with recognised standards such as ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System). International standards can serve as common languages when communicating the quality of your data security measures. Be sure to also invest in the cyber-security training of your IT personnel. At the very least, make sure they’re trained enough to respond quickly when a data breach does happen.
Don’t assume the data in your care isn’t valuable enough to warrant extensive security measures. It doesn’t hurt to be on the safe side.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE GREATER SOLUTION
Admittedly this isn’t exactly a basic step. But remember that the digital space has been developing at a ridiculously rapid pace, and regulation has always been slow to catch up. But thanks to Facebook and now HKBN, more Hong Kong stakeholders will likely start viewing Data privacy as a legitimate risk concern. In fact, we wouldn’t be all too surprised if the GRI Standards adds data privacy to its emphasis, or if the Hong Kong government updates its 22-year-old Personal Data Ordinance, in the near future. But why sit there and wait for regulatory change when you can take the lead and actively participate in the discourse? Turn your risks into opportunities, and help shape the rules of the game. That is certainly what Mark Zuckerberg will be doing with the U.S government, which is the kind of proactive leadership necessary for rebuilding public trust in a company.
REPORT
Here’s an example of a pretty well written data privacy section.
LENOVO SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2017
“Lenovo recognizes that privacy is of great importance to individuals everywhere: our customers, website visitors, product users, employees—everyone. This is why we have established the responsible use and protection of personal and other information under our care as core Lenovo values.
To give effect to our privacy policies, principles and processes, Lenovo maintains a global Privacy Program, led by the Legal Department, and a cross-functional Privacy Working Group comprised of key partners of the Privacy Program, including Information Security, Product Security, Product Development, Marketing, E-Commerce, Service and Repair, Human Resources and other groups.
Key projects of the Privacy Program include :
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach us at privacy@lenovo.com.”
Not only did the report recognise that data privacy is a risk that involves EVERYONE, it also goes to specifically outline policies and projects designed to tackle the issue as well as the business activities they span. And last, but not least, they have a dedicated email for data privacy enquiries that’s easily found in the report. Comprehensive, specific, and accessible – Signs of a trustworthy report, although the report could benefit from more disclosure in terms of cyber-security measures.
People provide you their data in trust, and you have a duty to be vigilant with how you handle the data entrusted to you. The bottom line? Trust takes a long time to establish, and when that trust is broken, you’re going to lose a lot of likes.
Alaya HK ESG Reporting Benchmarking Report