Our General Manager Asia Operations, Johnny Kong reflects on his new role at the ICTI Ethical Toy Program

Johnny Kong, General Manager, Asia Operations, ICTI Ethical Toy ProgramMy first six weeks at the ICTI Ethical Toy Program have been an eye-opening experience. Coming from a different manufacturing industry, I find the united nature of the toy industry to be amazing and quite unique from other product sectors I have worked in before. Many ICTI Ethical Toy Program certified factories have been in the industry for decades and the level of pride and dedication the owners and management have to their work and products is clear. It is exciting to see the passion from our stakeholders and how they are striving to further enhance the toy industry, and the ICTI Ethical Toy Program, to ensure we continue to respond to responsible sourcing challenges. I have relished the opportunity to meet with so many toy industry professionals and manufacturers in the ICTI Ethical Toy Program. Thank you to the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association for their continued support and leadership, I look forward to continuing our work with them. I am also grateful to The Toys Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Guangdong Toy Association, the Dongguan Toys & Juvenile Products Associations, and the Shenzhen Toy Industry Association for taking the time to meet with me and express opinions and advice on how we can further develop the ICTI Ethical Toy Program. I look forward to meeting with other industry associations in the near future and hope to meet as many toy factories as possible.Moving forward, I believe transparent and open communication will be vital to the continued success of the ICTI Ethical Toy Program, therefore your feedback is vital. We want to hear your needs and concerns as your voice is key to helping us shape the program.A quote I once heard from the CEO of a world leading manufacturing organisation which continues to resonate with me is “you can be successful only if your customer is successful”. This is a powerful message and one which I fully respect and agree with, it provides me with the ultimate goal to keep in mind when running any operation.The ICTI Ethical Toy Program Team is keen to hear from all of you as we work to continuously develop our program in line with the toy industry’s needs. I am confident that collectively we can make a better program for all. Please feel free get in touch with me at johnny.kong@ethicaltoyprogram.org.