Switching To Digital

President of Schneider Electric Hong Kong Jonathan Chiu is on a mission to empower people to make the most of their energy and resources.

- Steve Crowe

With a history reaching right back to 1838, Schneider Electric can lay claim to being at the forefront of technology changes since that brand-new thing called electricity attracted the company’s attention in 1891. Since 2005, Schneider Electric has decided to specialize in digital solutions for sustainability in the energy industry, combining energy management and automation for greater efficiency, and being the partner of its customers in their journey towards sustainability.

President of Schneider Electric Hong Kong Jonathan Chiu joined the company in 1996 as a sales engineer after graduating from the University of Hong Kong. In January 2019, he was appointed President, after holding the position of Vice President in the partner and channel business unit. He brings considerable formal qualifications to the role, including a degree in industrial engineering, an MBA from the City University of Hong Kong, and an EMBA from Kellogg-HKUST.

“I believe that energy management is a very promising industry with lots of opportunities,” Jonathan tells The CEO Magazine. “Today, even after the Paris Agreement and the multitude of pledges from companies, we are still on a trajectory of a 3.5°C increase in global temperatures. If you look at climate change, it’s all about emissions, and carbon emissions are mainly an issue of energy and efficiency.

“We are in the age of energy transition. First, IT-related electricity consumption is going to increase by three times by 2035, driven by the pervasive adoption of information and communication technology. At the same time, we see a global trend of decentralization.” Jonathan says.