Home BlogArticle

A Day in the Life of Workiva's Dina Ding in Hong Kong

Learn how Ding Ding, Workiva’s head of capital market sales, APAC, spends her work day from start to finish as we follow her through her morning-to-night routine.

9 JULY, 2024

Dina Ding smiles as she talks to the crowd at an event

One of the best things about Coworking Spaces is the flexibility they offer—there’s no one right way to use one. In this article, we will follow Dina Ding, a The Executive Centre (TEC) Member, to learn about her daily work life and how she uses TEC spaces in Hong Kong.

Occupation: Head of capital market sales, APAC
Company: Workiva, a global software company
Industry: I.T.
TEC Branch: AIA Central, Hong Kong
TEC Membership: Private Office
Team Size: 16-17 in Hong Kong

What’s your favourite thing about what you do?

I enjoy talking to very successful business contacts in my field and growing a broader professional network. At the same time, I love working with very intelligent people both externally and internally, and it always feels great when you close a deal.

Which TEC branches do you use?

Workiva Hong Kong has a dedicated office space in AIA Central but we can also use TEC facilities across the region when we travel. I usually do one or two work trips every quarter as everyone’s been travelling a bit more post-Covid. When I visited Korea, I used the Three IFC location. I also visited a Taipei branch when I was in Taiwan.

Workiva has branches all over the Asia Pacific, so each country has its own respective TEC branch and office space. In addition to Hong Kong, we also have dedicated office spaces in Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, and Tokyo.

What’s your favourite TEC facility?

Woman inside a rocket-like futuristic office room in The Executive Centre AIA Central

I really like to bring my partners to the lobby area of AIA Central, especially inside the spaceship. (Editor’s note: The “spaceship” is actually called The Apollo, a shiny futuristic luxury lounge inspired by the iconic NASA spacecraft. It’s shiny from the outside, leather-lined on the inside, and has a door for extra privacy.)

The environment inside is really nice because it looks and feels like a luxurious and private bar. We also have a great barista at AIA Central so the spaceship is one of my go-to meeting spots instead of coffee shops outside of the office.

Dina Ding smiles at the camera while signing on the wall of a company

Dina Ding’s Day to Night

7:30 am: I wake up and do a little bit of housework. I have two cats so I need to clean the cat litter and make sure the cats are okay for the day with enough food and water and make sure they get plenty of pets and attention before I leave for the day.

8 am - 9 am: I don’t eat breakfast usually but I make my own green juice every morning and take my supplements like prebiotics and vitamins and drink a glass of fresh lemon juice as well.

9 am: My boyfriend and I live in Happy Valley so we will typically take a cab to work together since we both work in Central, but if either of us has to go in earlier, we travel separately. If I have a call in the morning, I typically do it at home just because I don’t want to stress over the commute and head to the office after the calls.

10 am: I typically start my work day with my emails if there aren’t morning meetings, and go through a checklist of all the tasks that I need to do for the day or tasks that remain from the day prior. I’ll also use the morning to prepare for any meetings I have later for the day or the week and make sure all the agenda and bullet points are ready.

1 pm: I try to have regular catch-ups with my business partners in person to stay up-to-date with the current market. Today, I had lunch with a capital market partner from a law firm that we work very closely with. I typically have my lunches anywhere near the Landmark as most of the businesses we work with are around there.

3 pm: My company offers flexible working hours, so I sometimes squeeze a workout in if I have time. I do a range of workouts from kickboxing, yoga and private training.

Two people having a meeting in front of a presentation screen at Workiva

4 pm - 6:30 pm: Meetings, meetings, meetings. I will always try to clear my email before I go home. If I’m headed to dinner with friends after work, I usually stay until 6:30pm or 7pm, depending on when and where dinner is.

7:30 pm: My friends and I usually meet in Central or Wan Chai for dinner. I love The Monogamous Chinese restaurant under the escalators. It’s a very cute spot and the place resembles a gallery when you walk in because of all the paintings on the wall. The food is also great and it won’t break your wallet either.

9:30 pm: Dinner usually ends around this time and I’ll head home.

10 pm: I’ll catch up with my partner about what happened in the day and sometimes I’ll clear my emails again to prepare for the next day.

11 pm: My boyfriend and I like to watch a sitcom like Seinfeld or something relaxing with a cup of tea and get ready for bed.

11:30 pm: Time for bed!