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One perk of living in the internet era is that we can work from anywhere. But that’s not something new for us at Klook - we've been collaborating online since before the pandemic, with many teams spread around the world. So relocating to another city or country while still doing the same work is possible, as long as your company enables you to.

That’s what Stefano Viani did early this year. Originally based in Hong Kong as a Director of Supply Center of Excellence (CoE), Stefano decided to move to our Manila office in the Philippines in January 2022. Like other Klookers, he’s also been collaborating online with his Asia-based team. So nothing quite changes even with his move to the Philippines!


 Stefano Viani with his team at the Klook Office Hong Kong

Stefano and his team have been collaborating online since the beginning


“Supply CoE is a team that focuses on making life easier for our Business Development colleagues across the globe by improving our internal processes. We deal with a variety of topics such as Merchant CRM strategy, Merchant Success or evaluating Supply Performance metrics,” explains Stefano.

“The team is spread across multiple countries in Asia. As such, we promote mobility and flexibility when it comes to location.”

Thankfully, Klook is a big promoter of career mobility and flexibility. Recently, we even launched an internal program called Klook Workcation, which allows Klookers to work temporarily from anywhere in the world while enjoying some vacation for up to 30 days to celebrate the comeback of international travel. So when there was a need for his family to move to the Philippines, he submitted a request to move to our Manila office.

“After almost 7 years in Hong Kong, my wife and I decided to relocate to the Philippines to be closer to family. The Philippines offers a nice environment for expats since everyone speaks English. The weather is amazing, and there are growing opportunities in many sectors,” says Stefano.

The Philippines is not the first foreign country that he called home. Hong Kong was his third home after the UK and Italy, his homeland. He moved to Hong Kong in 2015 to pursue an MBA degree and stayed there since then, before moving out this year.


 Stefano Viani and his team at the Klook Hong Kong office

Klook’s Hong Kong office was Stefano’s home for 2.5 years


“After graduating from college, I worked in Management Consulting in Europe. After close to 6 years, I wanted a new challenge both from a professional and life perspective. I decided to enroll in the MBA program at HKUST back in 2015 in Hong Kong,” he explains. 

“Fast forward 7 years later, I’m still in Asia and enjoying it!”

Moving to another country might not be easy, let alone to a different continent, especially with huge differences in culture. But for Stefano, the culture shock was not that apparent during his relocation to Hong Kong 7 years ago and to the Philippines this year. His secret? Travel, a lot of them. Oh, and of course the help from local Klookers.

“The world is truly ‘global’ and any culture shock is less and less evident. Nevertheless, there are still small things that surprise me occasionally. From my perspective, travel helps a lot: the more you travel, the more you gain an appreciation of different people, food, and cultures,” elaborates Stefano.

 

Stefano Viani with the Klook Philippines team during the rebrand launch

Stefano with the Manila team when we launched our Klook rebrand


“The team here is also great: everyone is very close to each other, and I can tell from day one they have been trying to make me feel truly at home!”

Moving to the Philippines also means he can be closer to dreamy destinations such as Boracay and Palawan, with the archipelagic country boasting more than seven thousand tropical islands. After 5 months in the country (not counting several other trips here before his relocation), Stefano has visited some beautiful destinations, but there’s still more on his wishlist.

See our jobs in the Philippines

 

Stefano Viani in Boracay, Philippines

Stefano had a great time in Boracay during the Holy Week


“So far, it has all been great. I have been here many times before the pandemic hit. Since I relocated, I have been to Anilao on a road trip, plus Boracay and Davao,” says Stefano. “I have a few more destinations I want to visit in the next few months, like Camiguin, Siquijor, and Palawan.”

Lastly, Stefano shares some of the tips for those who are interested in relocating to another city or another country like him.

“You have to take it step by step. First, you definitely have to visit the country you would like to relocate to. After that, look for an opportunity to do a short assignment – maybe 2-3 months – to see if you really like it. Finally, if you are really sure about it, you just need to go for it!”


Is work flexibility your top priority?

Find our flexible jobs here

 

 

   Posted by Klook Careers

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