Michael W.

Michael is a marketer turned fundraiser with over 30 years in both Hong Kong and international sectors. Currently, he heads up the Fundraising and Communications Unit at Oxfam, working with a brilliant group of professionals on regular, one-off and major gifts donation, as well as the prestigious Oxfam Trailwalker. Previously he established the Partnerships department at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, building the organization’s branding and fundraising programmes including general and major gifts programmes. Prior non-profit experiences include tenure as Director, University of Waterloo, where he was instrumental in the funding of a several hundred million dollars scientific laboratory in Hong Kong and a national actuarial project in Indonesia; and Deputy Director of SPCA (Hong Kong) bringing major facelifts in fundraising, education, branding, and events. Before his journey into non-profits, Michael spent 20 years in the airline, entertainment, and fast-moving consumer goods industries. Michael was Head of Marketing at Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, in charge of communications, destination and product marketing plus related relationships building. Michael also oversaw marketing at Walt Disney Videos and Blockbuster Videos, where during his tenure Michael promoted hundreds of Hollywood and Hong Kong titles. Prior to his entertainment industry foray, he was Category Manager at SC Johnson, owning top household cleaner brands such as Pledge, Toilet Duck, and Mr. Muscle. He kicked off his career in the adrenaline-fueled world of advertising, working with the Ogilvy group as an account supervisor. Michael is an active researcher in organizational behaviour, investigating followership and employability skills. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration (South Australia), MBA, and BS Math (Texas Arlington). He has taught part-time at universities for 20 years and held an unpaid Adjunct Assistant Professorship at Hong Kong Nang Yan College. Michael volunteers as a Scout Leader, holding frontline and administrative appointments in the organization. His latest hobby is fencing.