Author: Echo, MetaEra
In October 2024, HashKey's platform token HSK officially launched trading. As the core of the HashKey ecosystem, HSK adheres to the philosophy of "HSK for ALL," and is widely used in various core scenarios within the HashKey ecosystem, continuously expanding external community collaboration and gradually building a comprehensive Web 3.0 value map.
This important moment cannot be separated from one woman—Kay, the CEO of HashKey Eco Labs. As one of the core promoters of the HSK project, Kay, with her solid financial background and unique understanding of the crypto market, led her team to successfully complete the HSK listing and demonstrated the leadership of a female CEO in the operations of HashKey Chain. She seems to possess a kind of energy that keeps her vigorous, resolute, and constantly on the move.
Her long-standing work style, the convergence of diverse professional backgrounds, and her personal life experiences have shaped who she is today. Her career is filled with cross-border innovations, from traditional finance to Web 3.0; Kay has always stood at the forefront of the times, exploring the integration of technology and business, continuously yielding results.
Knowledge begins in Hong Kong, and career is built in Hong Kong.
Kay's career began in the traditional finance sector. She completed her studies in finance in Hong Kong and gained considerable experience in the financial industry. In 2019, Kay accidentally came across Ethereum and began to research it as an investment target. As she deepened her understanding of blockchain technology, she gradually realized the potential of this technology to redefine human production relations and drive a transformation in the era.
"Blockchain is not just a technology; it is a rethinking of the entire social structure," Kay stated in an interview. It is this profound understanding of the industry that prompted her to join Bybit in 2021, where she was responsible for spot research and strategic investment. In 2024, Kay joined HashKey, overseeing the listing and management of the ecological token HSK and leading the operations of HashKey Eco Labs.
"HashKey Eco Labs is a virtual organization with two core sections: HSK Foundation and HashKey Chain," she elaborated, "Tokens and Chains form the foundation of our entire HashKey Eco Labs."
Young and continuously expanding, climbing; now at a different stage, those unforeseen scenes have quietly unfolded. When discussing the opportunity to join HashKey, Kay candidly stated, "There were two dimensions to consider. First, from the perspective of my personal career development, I had been involved in listings for quite some time, accumulating enough understanding of the industry, project evaluation, and various sectors, but I always wanted the chance to truly put my understanding of this industry into practice, whether it was through investment or directly working on a project; second, HashKey itself is the most promising institution under the industry consensus with a compliant background, and compliance is the biggest trend of this era and the source of the next cycle of Web3 growth. Being able to explore and accomplish a project within a compliant framework is itself attractive to me."
She continued, "HashKey has a rich business line, providing support in terms of connections, experience, and brand resources, which is also an important reason for me to join. At the time, the issuance of HSK was still in the preparatory stage, and I was able to start building the narrative, streamlining the processes, including communication with regulators and various partners, ultimately leading to a successful listing in October." As Kay spoke, her years of experience flowed like a stream; she seemed like a great tree in autumn, gradually returning her strength to its roots.
When asked about her daily life, "Most of my life is filled with work," Kay smiled slightly awkwardly, "I mainly focus on management functions, including strategic planning, internal and external collaboration, and expanding industry influence. Our team is distributed globally, and many meetings are conducted remotely. We drive matters forward through efficient project management capabilities, coordinating internal and external resources. I also have some external communication work to garner more supporters and partners for HashKey Chain. In the limited private time I have, I play basketball and work out." This CEO, amidst her busy work, still maintains the habit of a researcher, no matter how busy she is, she makes time to study the latest projects, track trends, and stay updated on industry dynamics to maintain sensitivity to the market and keep her enthusiasm for trading.
"This year, I will spend more time in Hong Kong," Kay ambitiously shared with us during a break while training at the Singapore court about her plans for the year. She hopes to break the barriers between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 through the HashKey Chain public blockchain project. "We will start from Hong Kong to tell the world about our mission and vision. I will use my identity and voice to explain what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how we are doing it. While promoting our brand to the world, we will also continuously refine our public chain products internally, optimize operations, and ensure that each step is taken more steadily and excellently."
"What we are doing is a事业 with a grand vision." Kay smiled happily, her ambition fervent, moving forward with determination.
From a female perspective: female employees, female users, female entrepreneurs.
There are hundreds of employees in the HashKey Group, with a high degree of flatness, maintaining an efficient organizational structure. Not only are there female leaders in operational or supportive departments, but many business line leaders are also women.
In this interview about her strength, we also discussed the issue of gender stereotypes. Kay believes that the biggest stereotype is the stereotype itself. Women are often labeled as emotionally sensitive and good communicators, but these traits are not limitations; instead, they can be transformed into advantages in the workplace.
"All characteristics have two sides," Kay explained, "Women are emotionally sensitive, which can help them better understand team needs, but it can also make them susceptible to emotional influence in decision-making. The key is how to transform these characteristics into advantages, rather than being limited by them."
"Among the leaders I often collaborate with, there are quite a few women," Kay continued, "We do not limit positions based on gender; it is more about capability and experience. The advantages of women in communication and management are indeed very obvious, which is why we have a higher proportion of women in operational, branding, and marketing positions."
Gender should not be a barrier to career development. True equality lies in providing equal opportunities for everyone, rather than presetting conditions based on gender. HashKey is culturally willing to offer female colleagues more equal work opportunities without gender limitations; they regularly organize sharing sessions between female leaders and colleagues to share personal management perspectives. In addition, HashKey also pays attention to the growth of female developers. Although the voices of female developers in the market are relatively small, they are equally outstanding. To this end, HashKey plans to hold specialized hackathons or workshops from the perspective of the public chain ecosystem to create more opportunities for female developers to showcase and express themselves.
Expanding on the topic, when it turned to female entrepreneurs, Kay pointed out that female entrepreneurs often excel in project delivery and community communication, a skill that is particularly important in the current market environment.
"The Web 3.0 industry is transitioning from a technology-driven and narrative-driven phase to one that emphasizes actual delivery and community trust," Kay stated, "The advantages of female entrepreneurs in this regard are becoming increasingly evident. They can not only express the project's vision clearly but also implement the project in a structured manner."
Advice: Just come in directly and fully exert your initiative.
For women who have not yet entered the Web 3.0 industry, Kay's advice is straightforward: "Just come in directly." She believes that the Web 3.0 industry provides more diverse and flexible opportunities, making it very suitable for capable women facing real-world pressures. The decentralized and distributed collaborative model of Web 3.0 offers more opportunities for women, whether they want to engage in media promotion, marketing, or technical development, they can find a suitable position in this field.
For women who have already entered the Web 3.0 industry, Kay encourages them to maintain their passion and curiosity for the industry and to take initiative to seize opportunities. She emphasizes that the Web 3.0 industry is full of uncertainties but also full of opportunities. Women have unique advantages in this industry, and as long as they maintain their passion and belief, they will surely achieve success in this field.
Introduction to Kay Lu
Kay Lu graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is currently the CEO of HashKey Eco Labs and co-founder of JN1 Capital. She has previously worked at PwC and Huawei CloudBU, and in 2021, she joined Bybit, responsible for spot research and strategic investment, and in 2024, she joined HashKey Eco Labs, leading the management of the platform token HSK and the operations of HashKey Chain.
