Eddy Tang has big dreams. Some, such as transforming a medical aesthetic facility into the largest non-hospital medical service provider in Hong Kong, he has already achieved, while becoming the leading and client-centric one-stop medical healthcare service provider in Asia is a goal in motion.
The 41-year-old has worked tirelessly for the past 15 years to ensure Union Medical Healthcare (UMH) is ahead of the game. “We pride ourselves on executing jobs of a higher quality than our peers while aiming to bring health, beauty and happiness to everyone,” Eddy explains when asked what drives him.
The company’s core strengths are medical, aesthetic, chiropractic, dental and health-management treatments. It offers a range of procedures such as Botox, Restylane, Juvéderm and Teosyal.
The business also produces several brands under its own name, including Dr Reborn, which has ranked first in Hong Kong by sales; reVIVE, an oncology treatment centre; HKMED, a day-procedure centre; and specialty clinic Specialists Central.
“We put ourselves in the shoes of our customers to keep in mind how we would like our families treated should they encounter the same situation,” Eddy says. With a focus on preventive and precision medicine, UMH is aiming to transform traditional transactional medicine by offering a unique customer experience along with simple medical services.
Journey to success
Since Eddy founded the business in 2005, UMH has continued to expand organically rather than through acquisition. It is now the largest group of its kind in Hong Kong’s health and beauty medical arena.
The 56 clinics and service centres comprise a service floor area of more than 26,660 square metres and employ close to 100 full-time and exclusively registered practitioners across 19 medical disciplines. However, Eddy is nowhere near the finish line.
“We will continue the consolidation with medical assets in Hong Kong and aim to develop and establish leading brands in various medical disciplines,” he explains, while reinforcing the ongoing need to create and strengthen relationships with consumers.
“Developing strong relationships with clients, suppliers and partners is a key part of my role.” The business is now moving into its next stage of expansion. It is expecting to see growth of a further 30% as it opens an additional 30–50 clinics and centres in the next three to five years.
“We will continue to expand on the mainland, with a focus on the Greater Bay Area,” Eddy says. The CEO further explains that the Chinese government has been focusing on the Greater Bay Area for some time.
In 2019, the government unveiled its grand plan to develop the area into a “world-class city cluster” containing a global technology and innovation centre, plus a business-friendly area with housing.
“Policies have been favourable to medical practitioners and medical service providers from Hong Kong. The area is conveniently only an hour away, making the crossing of talents and resources attainable.” Eddy adds that UMH has been looking for collaboration with local players who have strong capabilities.
I hope to continue to create impact whereby more individuals can obtain modern medical and healthcare services in a way that is most convenient to them.
“That means our business model can be replicated in an even more efficient manner,” he says, confirming that the company is in the process of finalising its business plan up to 2022.
This year, UMH also plans further to enhance its IT, services and overall brand. The vision going forward is clear.
UMH is strategically working to become a leader in the medical service space, without losing the connection with its consumer base. “We want to be the most trusted service provider of aesthetic, health and beauty,” Eddy states.
A different path
Before founding UMH, Eddy had plans to work in the medical sector. He studied for an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) degree at the University of Hong Kong. But Eddy had to forgo full-time study, instead working long hours to financially support his family.
Beginning in sales management at two beauty chains, Eddy quickly climbed the ranks and joined Sau San Tong as its sales director. His mission was to establish beauty centres, develop marketing strategies and operate sales channels.
During this time, the young and eager employee saw the impact that professionalism and safety has on a brand. Eddy was inspired. He wanted to combine excellent professional service and products to pioneer a new brand in the medical field.
Thus UMH was born. Since its inception, much has changed in the aesthetic medical sector. Eddy notes that because of technology, consumers are more educated and aware. “They can differentiate pricing and product origination,” he says.
Social media engagement has also had a big part to play in influencing surgery trends, with minimal invasive service currently up and coming. Eddy also points out UMH’s continual investment in high-quality machinery and equipment to improve safety and set new quality standards.
Keeping talent
The medical-centric business has been successful in differentiating itself from beauty parlours and the like, primarily because of its medical professionals. “The staff are dedicated to ensuring our customer becomes healthier, happier and prettier,” Eddy says.
“Our strength is our people – we are always looking to learn and improve in every aspect of our business.” Eddy adds that operational excellence to him means keeping staff and stakeholders happy, working effectively and efficiently as one team and delighting customers with value-added services.
Upskilling and providing training courses for staff is another top priority.
“We train hard and have an extensive array of training courses to ensure our people have the right knowledge and skills,” he confirms.
This year, the business announced a co-ownership plan to provide directors, employees and service providers the opportunity to invest in UMH by acquiring its shares.
The purpose of the adoption of the co-ownership scheme is to encourage quality staff to remain in the business and contribute to the company’s further development and expansion.
For every 10 shares that the co-owner owns now, they will be awarded with up to five free shares three years later, subject to the financial performance of UMH.
“In recent years, Union Medical Healthcare has actively expanded its professional medical business by committing substantial resources, adopting the most advanced equipment and recruiting a large number of professional medical staff,” Eddy says.
We want to be the most trusted service provider of aesthetic, health and beauty.
“All this is aimed at providing professional and high-quality medical services. This opportunity can lay the foundation of its future development and business expansion and will thus create shareholder value.”
Back to the people
“We engage with our local communities and take our CRS responsibilities very seriously,” Eddy says. “We view it as an important aspect of our business. It’s a way of giving something back to the people.”
Part of UMH’s mission is to create a more inclusive society. This is achieved by encouraging volunteer work, as well as providing staff with benefits and support. UMH has also been at the forefront of promoting the protection of the environment.
The business received the World Green Organisation’s ‘Green Office’ label and the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ ‘Better World Company’ label. Additionally, it has successfully fulfilled the green criteria of nine categories from the World Green Organisation.
The sectors include energy savings, water savings, paper/printing reduction, green procurement, waste reduction, IT use and disposal, transportation, education and awareness, and green innovation.
Outside business hours
Apart from driving the business forward, Eddy and his team also work to prioritise their wellbeing. “As an integrated medical service provider, we aim to bring health to individuals. But it is important to keep ourselves and our families happy and healthy,” he says.
“For me, it is about enjoying work and merging it into my life.” When Eddy is not busy planning the next venture, he enjoys playing basketball and learning about new IT gadgets. With ongoing plans for growth and new partnerships, the CEO reaffirms that all markets are worth examining.
“There are growth opportunities in current markets and, of course, all the new and undiscovered sectors.” With time on his side, Eddy is not rushing to accomplish all his goals. But there is one other mission he is chipping away at every single day.
And that’s to leave a lasting impression on the industry. “I hope to continue to create impact whereby more individuals can obtain modern medical and healthcare services in a way that is most convenient to them.”
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