How entrepreneur Charlene Ree balances EternityX – her AI marketing platform that connects brands like LVMH and L’Oreal to Chinese consumers – with her Instagram influencer status
Born in Taiwan, educated in New York and based in Hong Kong, Ree’s cross-cultural background has translated well online, where she connects global brands such as LVMH, L’Oreal, Peninsula Hotels and P&G to Chinese consumers by transforming more than 960 million data points into more than 1,000 unique audience profile categories using her company’s in-house algorithm.
Precise timing is important to Ree’s business: “Timing or moments are a key factor in people’s mood, this is one of the key factors of our platform data process,” she explains. “Every data has its own life cycle. Detecting what time the user logs into their social media account or are active online – what they browse, what they buy, who they follow, what they subscribe to, what they share – allows us to deliver the right message precisely at the right time.
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EternityX is Ree’s second successful business – previously she was managing director of Httpool, a digital media solutions agency which she sold in 2018.
And Ree is not the only entrepreneur in her family. “My mum is an entrepreneur herself, so whenever I need business advice, she’s the person I will go to. She’s an inspiration to me, being a mother of three and an entrepreneur. As for my dad, he’s the most generous person I know, he likes treating people to meals. And I definitely got that from him,” says Ree.
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“My husband too inspired and supported me to follow my dream of starting my own business, not only once but twice. I can proudly say he’s my safety net. Even if things don’t go as planned, I know he will always be there for me as someone I can count on.”
Managing to spend time with her three children while running a business and keeping on top of her Instagram posts takes careful planning each day. Ree always has breakfast with her children and then sees them off to school before going to the office by 10am.
“I try to get home by 7.30pm before they go to bed at 8.30pm,” says Ree. “During this hour I check their school work and read them a bedtime story.
“After the kids go to sleep, I take quiet time for myself to do more work, or Instagram – photo editing and posting on my Instagram feed, and spending time in the Instagram community,” she says.
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Ree sees time as a luxury. “I attach great importance to the quality of time spent, so I prefer efficient time management to maximise results.
“I always think about ways to save time since that allows me to do more. For instance, I love living near my office so I can save commuting time,” she says. “And I never waste time.”
Charlene Ree’s preferred watch – vintage Audemars Piguet jewellery watch
“It was a gift from my dad to my mum for her 35th birthday – 32 years ago. My mum saw it in a magazine and really loved it and he got it secretly for her as a birthday gift.”
- She’s worked with LVMH, L’Oreal, Peninsula Hotels and P&G and her AI platform now has offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in China, and in Australia and Singapore
- She also sold digital media solutions agency Httpool, and her favourite watch is a vintage Audemars Piguet jewellery watch that her dad gifted her mum