Celebrity Life

Shanyan Fok Koder and Richard Bassett explain how a Hong Kong art entrepreneur joined forces with a former special-forces soldier to launch a health and mental wellbeing app, Mentor360.

"Mental health and mental fitness are universal concerns," says Shanyan Fok Koder. "And regardless of your demographic, social status, your job or your age, it’s something everyone has to deal with."

Shanyan Fok Koder & Richard Bassett on Mental Health App Mentor360

The Mentor360 app dropped on World Mental Health Day in October, the cumulation of the last 20 months of work and conversations (usually across continents over Zoom) between former military man Richard Bassett and worldly art advisor Koder. A month later, I’m sitting with both in a North London café talking over slices of pizza.

Their app, they hope, offers everyone a holistic 360 guide and framework to “finding your formula” for mental and physical wellbeing. It uses a hybrid approach, with a core layer of clinicians and professional Mentors and then celebrity Ambassadors (who’ve publicly shared meaningful life stories) critical for building noise and momentum.

"I’d been in the military for a long time. And there were a couple of incidents in my life that made me want to create something," Bassett, the CEO, explains. "Firstly, it was my father committing suicide. Then my son had a bit of misdirection. And several of my friends in the military had PTSD issues or adjustment disorders."

"The biggest issue is why people wouldn’t come forward and say they’ve got a problem?” he asks.

“Unlike some apps, we’re not trying to get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it”

— Richard Bassett

The answer often lay in culture, lack of education or concerns about privacy that prevent many from seeking help. With that came Bassett’s idea of creating an app that functions as a “non-judgmental toolkit” with content validated by experts – who include coaches, performance psychologists, mental health-specialising nurses and a clinical psychologist.

Basset’s link with Koder came when his best friend, ex-special forces colleague and TV star Jason Fox, sat next to a pregnant Koder at a charity fundraiser for Born (which researches to prevent premature birth) in late 2019. As the pair talked about their passions for mental health and children’s wellbeing, the connection to Bassett’s idea became quickly apparent.

"Foxy told me that I have to meet his friend, Richard, who’s building this app," Koder recalls. "I was always wanting to support things that are very meaningful and close to my heart … and now Jason is actually our key mentor. The partnership between Richard and I was almost like two parts of a jigsaw puzzle come together."

Although some might go to the app for help with stress, trauma or even resources to help with suicidal feelings, Mentor360 is designed specifically as a three-dimensional offering that will also encourage fitness, workouts, performance and meditation or more clinical matters.

"We wanted to maintain the human factor as a constant throughout. So it feels like somebody has given you some advice rather than some process-driven machine learning," Bassett adds.

The co-founders might come from two different worlds, but the unlikely partnership speaks to the ubiquity of the issues at hand. Bassett’s 25-year military career saw him being appointed the first ever Command Sergeant Major within the UK Special Forces military group. "It was at that stage where I was asked if I wanted to run defence,” he says. “At that point, I thought, I’ve kind of had my fill of the military now, it’s time to move on."

Koder meanwhile grew up in Hong Kong and the UK as the daughter of Li Ka-shing’s "right-hand man" Canning Fok, carving out a career in the arts and taking over her family’s impressive collection. As a female art entrepreneur and mother, her challenges would be different.

"When I had the misfortune of losing three babies to miscarriage and dealing with that emotional fallout, it led me to want to support this as a cause," Koder divulges. "If there’d been something like this app available to me, I don’t think I’d have suffered as much as I did emotionally. It’s a topic that’s still very taboo, even in this day and age … and while you eventually find your own community, at the very beginning, you do feel very alone."

Both were clearly driven towards the app through deeply personal experiences. Bassett saw first-hand how soldiers who’d done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered – his best friend, Fox, had left the forces with PTSD. Perhaps machismo or fear of institutional repercussions meant that the issue was often ignored or hidden in the military – but he hopes that Mentor360’s holistic approach can gently lead people to explore mental fitness alongside physical performance too.

The male-female perspectives of the pair offer a well-rounded, powerful tool. And while the wellness space is already crowded, Mentor360 stands out by being so broad, human-focused and non-prescriptive.

There’s been exciting traction too. Since its launch, the app has been downloaded in more than 176 countries, with the UK, the US and Australia leading. British schools have reached out and it’s one governance board away from being trialled within the National Health Service (NHS), which means added clinical risk management in the app. That has been an important validation, says Bassett, "especially when an institution like that has picked it out from a huge spectrum of apps on the market today."

Covid-19 and lockdowns have helped throw light on mental health, taking the conversation more mainstream. The timeliness has hit home; as Bassett says, “there’s a lot of people now struggling with the transition between Covid and normality”.

Koder tells us that the plan is to serve individuals but also institutions such as the NHS and the military. There’s also the option of “white labelling” it, so the app can be packaged and tailored to certain industries or corporate employees. In the future, might they look more global, with different languages and translations? Absolutely, the pair say, but they’re taking it “slow and steady”. There’s been interest from American corporations and Koder says that she’s keen to push into Asia very soon. Although going truly global might mean translating for languages, cultures and tone, as well as working with diverse psychologists, it remains a future ambition.

Mentor360 may be extra helpful in cultures where mental health is still relatively taboo. As Koder says, "I think, coming from our Asian culture, it speaks volumes to me – so much of our culture is about still performance or hiding a lot of what you’re feeling."

"Unlike some apps,” Bassett adds, "what we’re not trying to do is create a hook or get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it, and if you don’t need it for a while because you’re good, you can just put it away … We’re starting to see those patterns in the trend analysis."

To get a little personal, I ask what works for them individually to keep a healthy mind and body. Bassett’s formula revolves around daily exercise, time with the family, dogs and good sleep – even the occasional glass of wine on the sofa in front of a crackling fireplace. Koder’s happiness hacks centre around motherhood, being content and at peace in her skin, and looking at life with a certain romanticism: "I always love to see the poetry in my day,” she says, "and I think it’s important to just pause throughout the day, check-in and acknowledge that I’ve achieved these things and I should be proud of myself, rather than just rushing on to the next thing."

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In this instalment of Startup Life, Simran Mohinani of MOHLIA talks infinity roses, luxury gifting, and getting ahead of the designer florist-curve.

It’s the season of giving and gifting, making it an excellent time to chat with expert Simran Mohinani. She launched her floral company MOHLIA during the peak of the pandemic, when customers were rushing to find ways to connect with loved ones. With Mohinani's wide network, she was able to ensure that her cheerful, long-lasting floral arrangements reached recipients all over the world, and on time. The company has now evolved to include much more – here’s a look at this enterprising entrepreneur.

Name: Simran Mohinani
Profession: Founder and CEO of MOHLIA
Industry: Luxury Gifting
Company Size: 26 people
Startup Since: August 2020

When did you decide to launch your own company and why did you start it?

I launched my first company back in 2017, during my second year of University. I had just started my career as an author and was eager to start investing my first source of income into something wonderful, as I had always been told you should make your money work for you. I learned about the stock market and put quite a chunk of money into it. While reading about the companies I was choosing to invest in, I thought about how fun it would be to start something of my own. I always knew I wanted to be my own boss, so it was just a matter of time.

When I started MOHLIA, I already had two businesses and had written three books. But with this project, I immediately knew there was different energy associated with it. I got the idea of starting an infinity flower business because I had so many bouquets and arrangements dotted around my apartment in Boston and house in London, and once Covid hit, my space lacked so much without it. When I tried looking for alternatives here in Asia, there were none. We decided to bridge the gap between luxury and innovation in the flower industry by creating our own version of the product, whilst keeping things affordable and sustainable – here in Hong Kong. 

There are obviously a lot of designer florists in the region – how are you keeping ahead of the curve?

MOHLIA has grown out of being just another flower company. We are a luxury gifting and lifestyle business with so much to offer. We've collaborated with small, medium and large-scale businesses worldwide to make ourselves the one-stop gifting shop for any client, of any age around the world. We've created our own private label of extraordinary, sulfite-free, sustainable, Italian DOCG wines that pair beautifully with the other products on our site You can expect to find anything from candles to cookies, jewellery and more at MOHLIA. In terms of our flowers, we have our own twist on the classic flower arrangements, but now are venturing out into flower sculptures, wall art and even flower handbags, speakers and trunks.

What are the challenges in your industry?  

Like with any industry, we do face challenges, we've actually gotten into a legal battle at one point a few months ago with someone trying to duplicate our business concept, products and name! As a team, we face every new challenge with a level-head and the utmost support for each other and confidence in what we create.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of this business is... truly everything! I wake up excited to go to work every day, and I anticipate my to-do list, meetings and events. The most rewarding thing for me is being the connection between two loved ones, when we deliver a gift across the world from someone who wants it sent to their best friend, significant other, parent, sibling, colleague, it makes it all worth it. 

Describe a normal workday for you.

Any entrepreneur will tell you that there is no 'normal' workday. A typical day for me would include at least an hour of exercise, as much family time, time with my dog. Daily meditation, sage-ing my space, reading and catching up on TV in my downtime. There are constant calls in different time zones, meetings, touching base with my team, keeping track of orders and accounts, sometimes cool networking events, pop-ups, emails, lots of pre-planning for events, designing, talking to suppliers, the list goes on and never really ends.

Where did you study and did that inform your career?

I studied at Northeastern University in Boston and had the best four years of my life. I majored in entrepreneurship and innovation, minored in global fashion studies. I did two sets of six-month work experience; first, at an app company in London. The second, at the W hotel in Boston – which I think definitely helped with my people skills. I also did a study abroad in Sicily, where I toured Italy and actually discovered the vineyard that I work with now to produce my wines. Every professor, class and person I met or took on along my journey shaped me into the individual I am today and gave me the confidence, skills and drive to tackle the entrepreneurial world.

As a teen, was this your passion? 

As a teen my passion was everything, and I think that really helped me to create and imagine what I do today. I am a serial entrepreneur and author now, but I want to be so much more. I want to dip into F+B and conceptualize my own restaurants in the future, produce music and film with my love for visual arts, and help philanthropic causes particularly with animal conservation in the future.

What advice would you give to other people wanting to start their own business, especially young girls and fresh grads? 

Ladies, the world needs YOU. Not who people want you to be, not the expectations and standards we are conformed to adhere to, individual, authentic, beautiful you. Follow your dreams even if you're scared, you have one life, and everything is temporary anyway so you might as well take the plunge, and if you by chance fail, pick yourself up and start again. There is nothing the universe doesn't notice, so surrender to it and manifest your destiny. Making up reasons not to start is invalid because all you need is your passion and drive, you'll learn the rest as it comes. J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter on a napkin in a coffee shop, Ellen DeGeneres had a thousand doors slammed in her face before she was given a 'Yes', but they followed their gut, and one 'Yes' is all it takes to live your purpose every day.

Where do you want to see your company in five years? 

I want to be selling our flowers on the Moon! There is nowhere I can't see us going, my vision for MOHLIA is to be the one-stop-shop of luxury gifting worldwide. I would love to be a household name globally. I want to make a shift in making the floral industry a more eco-conscious place, a true change in the world.

You say you're a serial entrepreneur. What else are you working on? 

My first business is in denim supply, my second is a consulting firm for young entrepreneurs, MOHLIA is my first direct B2C company, and we are planning on creating a sister brand that launches next year, called 'Sof's' – luxurious products for pets and paw-rents that don't break the bank

And what’s next for you in the coming year?  

We have a lot of huge projects and partnerships coming up which is so exciting. Expanding our product line and retail presence globally as well as scaling our online business to the next level. I am very excited to launch Sof's which will fill a very authentic and much-needed gap in the pet market, sourcing the best goods for every type of pet. I don’t know what’s in the future – but I do know the best is yet to come. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Is it empowering or tokenising when we single out businesses and organisations set up by women? To find out, we spoke to five female entrepreneurs in Hong Kong.

Only about 11 percent of start-ups are founded by women. And during the Covid pandemic, the funding for female-founded companies saw a 28.1 percent decrease than before the outbreak, while male-led businesses saw a much smaller fall of 5.4 percent. Such statistics reflect the indisputable correlation between opportunities and gender, and pose the question whether the term “female founder” is empowering or tokenising.

To some, it seems a perfectly valid way of acknowledging that women are capable of succeeding as much as men, in spite of their journeys generally being more difficult. Others regard it as a double-edged sword that, at best, is a temporary necessity until the world is in a place where all founders and CEOs can be celebrated equally for their accomplishments, regardless of gender.

To discuss the term “female founder”, along with the issues faced today by women entrepreneurs, I spoke to Genevieve Chew and Jacqueline Chak of Edit and Editecture, Ariane Zagury of Rue Madame, Dorothy Chau of Botanic Pretti5 and Harmony Ilunga of HarmonyHK, all of whom set up and own their businesses in Hong Kong.

“In a sense, I do feel that it’s tokenising and somewhat patronising,” says Zagury, who more than 10 years ago was responsible for bringing some of the most revered French luxury brands to Hong Kong with her company, Rue Madame. “But as women founders are so under-represented, they need to be highlighted and supported to provide more visibility and inspire other women. I hope in the future it will be something that need not be mentioned, and that we can look at all founders based on their abilities and what they create rather than their gender.”

Chew and Chak, who pioneer sustainable practices in architecture and interior design with Editecture– and in fashion with Edit – believe that “female founder” is a term of endearment that signals recognition. “I don’t mind it. I think it’s a compliment and acknowledgement for a female nowadays that we’ve worked to this stage that men acknowledge us being a female founder,” says Chak.

“I think it takes so much of a man to acknowledge that, which I find quite charming,” adds Chew.

The workplace and gender

If we dreamed of a society in which the gender roles are blurred, we might question the importance of acknowledging gender roles in the workplace. For Dorothy Chau, founder of the skincare brand BotanicPretti5, there’s no difference. “We still have to show that we’re capable of doing the job, so the gender acknowledgement doesn’t mean anything in terms of the job title or whether it brings a certain halo effect in the corporate world,” she says.

Harmony Ilunga, founder of HarmonyHK, a refugee-curated social enterprise and modelling agency, has a unique perspective on the issues of diversity and equality in the fashion industry and entrepreneurial space in general. To her, gender acknowledgement in the workplace shouldn’t matter, so long as there are codes in place to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.

“I won’t say that it’s bad, and I won’t say that it matters that much, as long people are being treated equally,” she says. “There’s been a lot of men in decision-making and, at certain times, they tend to forget about the female perspective. If we’re fighting for equal rights, it’s important to hear both genders, to see how both of them can lead.”

How to empower?

Empowerment can take many forms, from corporate policies to something as simple as sharing stories. Even in heavily male-dominated fields, such as banking, there are examples of corporations taking steps to empower women. For example, Goldman Sachs recently pledged US$10 billion in direct investment to address gender and racial bias as a part of its One Million Black Women initiative.

According to HarmonyHK’s Ilunga, support and stories told by women can certainly inspire change. “Obviously, with HarmonyHK, which I founded, I provide a platform for other young people to come in, saying that even though I was in certain circumstances, I was able to create this,” she says. “That’s how we can show how we can overcome certain circumstances. These are things we can do: provide a platform, listen and get as much support as we can.”

Often, stories inspire compassion. Compassion is what creates an environment in which everyone can succeed. Since the dawn of history, women have been subjected to much crueller scrutiny than their male counterparts,
so that today, female founders and CEOs are still expected to meet ridiculous expectations of “having it all”.

“Society is constantly pushing an unattainable ideal of perfection, especially to women – to be the perfect mothers and career women – and all while looking immaculate,” says Zagury. “This is unrealistic and it also provides no room to make mistakes.

“Mistakes, I believe, are essential to success. If we’re too afraid to make mistakes, we’re less likely to take risks or try something innovative, which is key to every successful entrepreneur,” Zagury adds.

Long live the girlboss?

The year 2020 saw an outbreak of negative reports concerning prominent female CEOs who’d previously been regarded as pioneers in their respective industries. They eventually led to the dethronement of prominent figures such as Refinery29’s Christene Barberich, Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine Cohen and Reformation’s Yael Aflalo. As once-promising women who’d supposedly epitomised the word “girlboss” stepped down, it inevitably posed the question whether that era was over. In other words, is it possible for women to remain empowered without making the mistakes associated with patriarchy?

Zagury believes the key is collaboration. “There are so many positive aspects of women leadership and management,” she says. “The Harvard Review found that women excelled and ranked higher than men in 12 out of 16 aspects of leadership – and they showed a higher proclivity for out-of-the-box thinking and resilience.

“Women can bring so much to the table and, for me, I think the importance lies in the genders working alongside each other collaboratively, rather than instilling an ‘us and them’ mentality, both in a corporate environment and at home.”

Ilunga adds an argument on self-accountability. “You don’t have to be confined by patriarchy, as long as you know what your standing rules are and why you came here,” she says. “You know your goal. As long as there’s equality in the workplace and women know their key role and know what brought them into that place and why they do what they do.”

As for Chak and Chew, they envisage a future where true equality exists, and that the journey towards a world free of gender discrimination has begun. “It will be even more equal in the coming future that we can see. I think it’s because, with the respect that men are giving to two females, we have more confidence to do better,” says Chak.

“And I want to give credit for that to the men of today,” says Chew. “A lot of articles talk about how there’s still a little bit of a taboo about women. But I want to say that we’ve moved on quite a lot. Men these days are understanding and they’ve come far.”

Meet the 2021 Prestige Women of Power

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From accelerating the use of clean energy to protecting the intellectual property of rural artists, these year's winners are bettering the world in myriad ways.

The post The eight laureates of the 2021 Cartier Women’s Initiative illustrate the power of the ripple effect appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

From accelerating the use of clean energy to protecting the intellectual property of rural artists, these year's winners are bettering the world in myriad ways.

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