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Business Executive Leaves Lorna Jane for UrbanX
“I could envisage the future and what we could achieve with this idea,” Stephanie Kong said.
Ms Kong spent 16 years working for activewear brand Lorna Jane, and she was responsible for its expansion into the United States.
She relocated to California for nearly four years in 2012, and during that time she opened 42 stores.
However, when she returned to Australia, an old school friend presented her with an idea, which eventually became UrbanX.
Before she spoke with UrbanX CEO Dan Argent, who was an old school friend, Ms Kong was responsible for Lorna Jane’s sales and brand awareness while managing 1,200 staff.
“While it’s fulfilling working for a global brand, I wanted to be part of something that was mine and that had a scalable potential to change the face of its industry,” she said.
Mr Argent presented the idea for UrbanX to Ms Kong in late 2018.
“It was the first time ever I thought I could actually see myself doing this — I got butterflies imagining what this might be. I could envisage the future and what we could achieve with this idea,” she said.
Although it was a risky career gamble, Ms Kong is thrilled to be part of a new business as a co-founder, and she recently took up the role as chief people officer at UrbanX.
Ms Kong believes that with the available resources, “old-school agencies” are becoming redundant.
“It’s obviously struck a chord,” she said. “Since launching in 2019, UrbanX has welcomed a record number of new agents to the platform, a consistent stream of enquiries from potential investors.
“I truly believe our company is not only empowering agents to start their own business, but to help them live a better life through health, wealth, growth and contribution.”