Human Insight, Innovation & Authenticity Shaping Modern Leadership

Emily Chang, brings 26 years of global experience across QSR, retail, hospitality, creative, tech, and FMCG, driving brand growth, digital innovation, and customer experience excellence. She has led large teams, launched new brands, and is a best-selling author and industry speaker with a passion for authentic leadership.

In an insightful interaction with Global Woman Leader Magazine, Emily shares forward-looking insights on digitalization, emotional brand connection, and unity across teams, highlighting innovation shaping the modern teahouse and growth.

She emphasizes human truth, resilient leadership, ambitious authenticity, and experience excellence guiding transformation. To learn more about her inspiring commercial leadership perspective and journey, read the full article further.

The food and beverage industry is moving towards digitalization of orders to hyper personalization. How do you see the commercial growth changing in the new landscape?

Because of technology, we now have (and should hold ourselves to) higher standards for frictionless experiences, from discovery and ordering to operations. That’s just table stakes, because in fact, our job as business leaders is to find opportunities to craft delightful brand expressions and moments for meaningful connection. This is why in my first five months at CHAGEE, my focus has been on designing a Modern Teahouse both offline and online. We’ve revamped the app, which will be introduced on mid-Nov and have developed a robust product roadmap for the next few years.

How do you balance data-driven strategy with human insight?

I don’t see this as a balance, but rather two pieces of a puzzle that come together to accelerate our understanding of the people we serve. Human insights spark creative ideas for inspired brand storytelling, irresistible experiences, and meaningful connection. Data informs, validates, and galvanizes action so we move forward with confidence.

Designing a Modern Teahouse is such an incredible opportunity! We’re relentless in seeking to understand how people understand, engage with and want to experience tea. In fact, we’re introducing Evening Tea Service this month because we observed how the community comes together at our teahouse at dusk. It’s an intimate, restorative, joyful time of day in the teahouse and we’re thrilled to craft new experiences that meet our guests where they are and want to be.

Having worked across global markets, what’s one experience that truly shifted the way you think about connecting with customers at scale?

Oh, so many memories flood my mind when I hear this question! From living with consumers in India and Brazil, internalizing how cold medicine enables them to get through the day and put food on the table, to training our Japanese staff at Apple to deliver a Westernized warm welcome… from designing the HUALUXE hospitality brand with IHG in China to opening the first Starbucks Roastery outside of Seattle, one north star shines bright.

That’s the human truth that people desire to be seen, heard, and valued. They engage with brands that that do this.

You see, your question is spot on – what we do is not branding, or marketing. Our business is the business of crafting and deepening connection, wherever we are.

Commercial success often comes from aligning marketing, operations, and innovation under one vision. How do you bring such diverse teams together toward a common goal?

Absolutely – no one function can deliver that connection. So, these functions need to align against a common goal. If we don’t define success together and share the same destination, we won’t find ourselves rowing in concert.

Second, functional teams come from different training and backgrounds, so they benefit from a common vocabulary. Defining how we talk about the business, ensuring we know what key words mean to one another… actually, it’s often in this minutia where we find breakthrough.

Last, I can’t emphasize enough the value of shared experiences. When we find ourselves side-by-side in those intense moments of crisis or change management, we deepen trust and establish collaborative ways of working. Equally, when we pause to celebrate wins together, we build a common foundation of shared success.

Driving transformation means leading people through ambiguity and change. What personal principles help you to stay centered while steering large-scale transitions?

I wrote a post about this very question in 2023 after leading my organization through COVID in China, and provided four tips:

Look around the corner; leaders need to keep an eye to the future and anticipate what’s coming. What market disruptions may be brewing? What’s competition up to? Are there any emerging players?

Care for ALL our people’s needs – keep Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in mind. During an unexpected lockdown, we would be tone deaf to focus on esteem when folks’ basic physiological needs weren’t secure.

Exercise operational discipline. This is one of those less sexy but fundamental truths. Consistency in how we show up and lead offers security.

Maintain a unified leadership team that lines up against one consistent message, and build a culture where leaders support each other and are seen supporting each other.

LAST WORD: Advice for Women Shaping Their Own Commercial Leadership Paths

Isn’t it interesting how we almost view “ambition” as a dirty word? Well, there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious. Because the opposite of ambition is… what? Apathy? Mediocrity? I certainly don’t want to be either of those, so with authenticity and boldness, I declare my ambition.

I want to live the biggest, most joyful life I can! I want to be someone people remember as an encouraging and inspiring servant leader… a successful executive, mom and author. In the end, I want to die empty knowing that I gave, supported, and grew everyone I had the honor to touch.

Listen, we can only be ourselves and we only have this one precious life to live. So, choose authenticity, always. And embrace your ambition, believing you’re uniquely here, blessed with a one-of-a-kind combination of personality, experience, and skills to do something that ONLY you can do. Now go do it!