People of accesso®: Jack Chan – On Taking a Leap of Faith and Blazing a New Trail in Sales
The people who make up our accesso team are talented professionals who bring unique experiences from all walks of life. In this feature for our “People of accesso” series, we’re proud to introduce our sales director for the Asia Pacific region, Jack Chan. In our sit-down with Jack, we discussed how he shifted gears from health care to happily working in sales for the last 20+ years. Read on to learn how Jack bravely broke the mold of tradition and utilized the many skills he developed over the years to forge his own path in the world.
A Change in Trajectory
When Jack was only 16, he and his family moved from Hong Kong to New York City where he completed high school and attended college at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, double majoring in biochemistry and economics. Initially beginning his university career with the hopes of becoming a doctor, he quickly came to the realization that he didn’t want to spend his life working in a lab. Instead, talking and interacting with different people was his true passion.
It wasn’t until about a month before graduation that Jack would make a decision that would completely alter the trajectory of his career. Coming to a close on his senior year, Jack was presented the opportunity to work in sales at an insurance company. Though Jack was unsure of whether he would be successful, he thought, “I am young enough to try it out and I have nothing to lose.” Ultimately, he took the plunge and accepted the position.
After his time in insurance, Jack joined the sales team at one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Sanofi-Aventis. He proved so successful in sales with the company that he was promoted internally to forecasting manager, taking on a set of entirely new-to-him skills. “I went from not knowing anything about Excel or forecasting financial models to being responsible for two of the major products Sanofi offered, worth a combined $7 billion in sales,” Jack shared.
While working full time, he attended New York University and earned his MBA with a focus on international business, with the eventual goal of returning to China for work. Having become truly savvy in sales and having a solid understanding of business administration, Jack landed a position as director of sales and marketing at Preferred Freezer Services, a frozen warehouse company expanding into the Chinese market, before spending five years working in sales at ModusLink, a leading global supply chain solution and eCommerce provider in Shanghai.
Blazing Ahead at accesso®
In 2018, a former colleague and friend referred Jack to an open position within accesso. Although Jack had never worked in the theme parks and attractions industry, he trusted her recommendation and applied for the job.
Today, Jack is responsible for the accesso ticketing, virtual queuing and Ingresso distribution system verticals in the Asia-Pacific region and has established himself as an invaluable part of the company.
Jack attributes much of his success to his mentor, Steve Drake, accesso Senior Vice President of Global Initiatives. “Steve had over 20 years in the industry and took me under his wing, making it a point to introduce me to everyone that he knows in the region and cutting my learning curve by at least six months to a year,” said Jack. “Steve’s support really speaks to the value of the company; we help each other out and teamwork is important to us.”
A typical month-in-the-life for Jack includes spending at least 50% of his time traveling; sometimes, as far north as Japan and as far south as New Zealand. “The majority of my job is flying to see clients, and pre-COVID, I flew a lot. I enjoy the travel component of my job because it gives me the opportunity to see the world and meet people from different cultures,” Jack shared. However, frequent travel is not exempt from its own trials. In addition to dealing with time differences between him and his team, Jack must constantly adjust his sales approach and strategy while navigating cultural differences and potential language barriers. He welcomes these challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Home is Where the Heart is
Although Jack loves his job and enjoys traveling to new places, being abroad can get lonely. He cherishes the times when he isn’t on a plane or in a hotel room because he gets to spend this precious time with his wife, as well as their son, Dylan, and daughter, Ashley. Some of Jack’s most treasured memories come from finding joy in the simple pleasures like helping his kids with homework assignments, driving them to sports practices or just playing video games with his son.
When Jack’s at home and not soaking in family time, you can find him in the kitchen. “I love cooking! I sometimes go to the library and borrow cookbooks to try different dishes at home,” said Jack. He especially enjoys cooking authentic Chinese comfort food and seafood. Beyond cooking, Jack is a die-hard New York Giants and New York Rangers fan – when he’s not watching their games or catching up on stats, he’s tuning in to his favorite sports podcasts.
When asked to describe Jack, his team is quick to offer words of praise – “dedicated” and “tireless” came up more than once, but “adaptable” and “fearless” top the list. Jack is proof that sometimes going against the grain and taking a leap of faith can be the recipe for success and serves as true testament to the famous Jack Canfield quote: “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”
To learn more about life at accesso and the opportunities available with our incredible team, click here. Interested in learning more about how our technology solutions can help drive revenue and improve the guest experience at your venue? Let’s chat!
Meet More People of accesso:
- Kimberly Koester, Vice President of Project Management and Documentation
- Scott Kelley, accesso LoQueue Product Support Manager
- Antoun Aziz, Senior UX Designer
- Mechele Larmore, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
- Justine Dong, Vice President, Global Implementation
- Valerie Wierenga, Product Manager
- Robin Goodchild, Managing Director, EMEA