How this PR professional successfully built a business empire in a foreign country

Starting a business in a foreign country sounds glamorous. The thought of jetting off somewhere new, living your main character moment, and making big CEO moves — it’s a dream for many. 

The reality is, however, it’s none of those things. At least not at the start.

It comes with the unfamiliarity of how the market will react to your business, the possibility of failing, and working among individuals who won’t take you seriously.

Here’s a scenario for you:  

Imagine moving halfway across the world to an unfamiliar country, starting from scratch, getting jobs where you feel like you’re not living up to your full potential, and starting your own business only for it to fail.

This was the life of PR professional and business owner Sally Maier-Yip when she packed up her life to follow her husband halfway across the world, from Hong Kong to Singapore, and then finally to London, UK.

Maier-Yip speaks at 11K’s 10th year anniversary party at Raffles London at The OWO in January 2025. Source: Sally Maier-Yip

‘I was the only Chinese person at the agencies I worked at’

Many would think Maier-Yip is fortunate enough to move to the UK, even though her relocation there happened because of her husband’s job. As grand as it seemed, the journey itself wasn’t the easiest. 

It was in 2010 when she embarked on a new journey in the UK. Back then, and even now, London remains a thriving as a global hub. 

“I’ve never travelled here before, nor have I studied here,” says Maier-Yip. “It was my first time in the UK, especially London, so it was really hard. I had to find a job and get used to life here.”

But despite having several years of experience as a PR professional and settling into the heart of the world’s global financial market, it was like she had to learn how to walk all over again.

Maier-Yip and her strong team at 11K Consulting, a leading China-specialist integrated communications consultancy specialising in real estate, design, and luxury lifestyle. Source: Sally Maier-Yip

“Everyone was coming to London, so I felt like I was competing with the world,” says Maier-Yip. “Everyone’s highly skilled, and with me mostly communicating in Chinese, I had to compete with British individuals fluent in English for a job in PR.”  

When she finally landed a job, it was just the start of yet another hard challenge ahead. 

Maier-Yip started as a PR consultant for Salt PR, a British PR agency now acquired by brand social agency MullenLowe UK. A little over a year later, she became a Senior Account Manager at Gong Communications, a multi-award-winning international PR and communications agency. 

While it may be two completely different agencies and job scopes, there was something in common — she was the only Chinese employee. 

“I was always the only Chinese person at the agencies I worked at, but it came to a point where I realised I was not using my knowledge of the Asian market,” says Maier-Yip. 

“I was looking for jobs that would allow me to use that knowledge, but the thing is, no British PR agency needs me. Why would they need me when they already have offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other Asian countries?”

But the one thing that agencies in the UK did not understand, especially at that point in time, was the value of the Asian market — more specifically, China. 

In 2022, Maier-Yip won the Women in Business – Business Growth Award by the Business Award UK and is also a Trustee of the Mulan Foundation Network, a UK-based charity organisation that recognises and honours the achievements of women of Chinese heritage in the UK and elsewhere. Source: Sally Maier-Yip

From a PR professional to a business founder

The realisation was a light-bulb moment for the PR professional.

Struggling to find a job for her to put her knowledge to good use and realising that there was a gap in the China-UK market for marketing, it only meant one thing — starting her own company.

“I was a Chinese person based in London who understands both the Western and Asian markets, so why not take advantage of that?” says Maier-Yip. 

Then and there, she took the risk of starting her first company in a foreign country in a nonexistent market.

But just like many first businesses, it failed — but Maier-Yip wasn’t deterred. 

“I failed many times, and I see failure as part of life,” she says. “You have to fail to succeed. If people are successful in their first attempt, it probably means the job is too easy.”

It’s a scary feeling, though, and it’s something Maier-Yip acknowledges. But her advice? Be clear about your goals and let failure be another lesson to improve and move towards the finish line.

“That will build your resilience and allow you to know yourself better, too,” she says. “I’m so grateful to have failed to get to where I am now.”

Today, Maier-Yip is the founder and managing director of 11K Consulting Ltd, a leading China-specialist integrated communications consultancy specialising in real estate, design, and luxury lifestyle.

With its headquarters in London and a secondary office in Shanghai, the consultancy agency helps businesses and brands understand, navigate, and successfully address the Chinese audience, both in China and abroad.

A little fun fact: the company is named 11K because the UK and Asia are 11,000 kilometres apart — a nod to Maier-Yip’s plans to extend her expertise to both shores. 

It’s been 10 years since she founded 11K Consulting Ltd, and it’s still going strong with a handful of high-profile clients, such as Raffles London at The OWO and St James – Part of The Berkeley Group.

In 2015, BBC wrote that the last state visit by a leader of China to the UK was a decade ago. China changed drastically within that time frame, and its economy was three times more than in 2005. 

Today, China has surpassed the UK to become the second most influential soft power nation, according to Brand Finance. 

Seventy-six per cent of UK businesses are maintaining or increasing investment in China, the Global Times report. However, 58% of British businesses reported that operating in China was more difficult in 2024 than in 2023, according to the British Business in China: Sentiment Survey by The British Chambers of Commerce in China. 

Despite the struggles, Maier-Yip and her team have been steering 11K Consulting Ltd in the right direction. 

You could even call her a pioneer in the industry.

“It took a while for us to build the company, but here we are after 10 years, still standing strong,” says Maier-Yip. “And we’re now one of the most established companies doing what we’re doing.”

“I never even thought about starting my own business. My mum even said that I was ‘too nice’ and that I’d ‘get cheated’ if I had my own business. But I saw an opportunity, and I took it. The market was niche, and I knew what I needed to do to make it successful.”

In 2023, Maier-Yip was awarded “Highly Commended” in the Business Category by the Mulan Foundation Awards for her work as a PR professional (entrepreneur instead of professional only, as the award was for the Entrepreneur category). Source: Sally Maier-Yip

From the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong to cutthroat Singapore

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Maier-Yip was the first in her family to get a bachelor’s degree.

“My parents don’t have degrees; in fact, even those before them don’t have one either, so they were very happy to hear that I got into a really good university in Hong Kong,” shares Maier-Yip.

In 2001, she enrolled into a Bachelor of Social Science in Journalism and Communication at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). 

The university is ranked #36 in the QS World University Rankings 2025 and #12 for QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 in communication and media studies.

However, pursuing a journalism and communication degree wasn’t a common path for many Asians. It’s often frowned upon when pursuing an “artistic” or “creative” degree in Asian households. 

But Maier-Yip had the support of her parents and a strong love for writing, so she knew she could walk down this path confidently. 

“I’m lucky my parents were supportive and allowed me to choose my degree path,” she says. “For them, attending university was already a big deal.”

And while attending CUHK was already a major achievement, Maier-Yip had bigger plans for the future. 

 

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A post shared by CUHK (@thechineseuniversityofhongkong)

At CUHK, Maier-Yip opted for a one-year exchange programme to Singapore at Nanyang Technological Univeristy (NTU), which ranked #15 in QS World University Rankings 2025 and #4 in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 in communication and media studies.

During her time at CUHK and NTU, Maier-Yip participated in internships at world-renowned news outlets, such as the South China Morning Post and Thomson Reuters.

Post-graduation, she returned to Hong Kong and secured a job at Weber Shandwick, an award-winning communications and PR agency, as an account executive. 

However, after six months, she took up a job at the HKSAR Education Bureau for a year and one month as a Press Office Executive.

In 2006, she returned to Singapore to be with her husband and scored a job at Baldwin Boyle Group, a leading PR, communications, and marketing agency in Southeast Asia.

Maier-Yip shares, “As busy and fast-paced the industry is, I have no regrets. Moving abroad to Singapore and working in all the companies I was a part of was a good stepping stone for me, too. It helped me get to where I am today.”