Founder – Biogenage, World Peace Ambassador 2021 (Canada)
Not everyone has a passion as noble as Charmaine KM YAN who says, “Building a green environment and guiding communities and countries provides a system. Systems ensure people achieve the highest levels of living environment, health and wellbeing.”
It is on her path to wellness that Charmaine launched ‘Biogenage’, a Natural Health Products Company which is into Green Health Science and Technologies, DNA Repair Concept and Nutrition, anti-aging and anti-oxidants.
Biegenage is also into research and their path-breaking work and extensive global reach has led to Charmaine being appointed a World Peace Ambassador in Canada for 2021. “I feel I qualified owing to Biogenage’s trustable reputation as well as our good relations with different countries, which has encouraged them to promote healthier lives and eco-environments,” she says.
Charmaine’s global journey did not begin in Canada, but years ago in the South-East Asian country of Hong Kong, where she was born. When she was 11, her parents decided to move to Canada. After her graduation, she studied fashion design and even did make-up modelling work for Estee Lauder through John Casablanca’s model agency in Vancouver.
However the pull of the native country proved strong and Charmaine returned to Hong Kong as she missed her relatives especially her beloved grandparents. While there, she landed a job as an Airport Officer with an airline which helped her travel different countries, getting to know more people and cultures.
Then in 2000, she moved to Shanghai as a student and researcher at one of the foreign universities to study business and finance. While there, a friend enabled her to join the Shanghai American Club as a Public Relations and Membership Manager. A prestigious role, Charmaine met and interacted with various high level dignitaries, government leaders, and Forbes 500 investors based in Shanghai and Beijing. Her most memorable moment was when together with her General Manager Mr. Jacob Knutte and Mr.Tim Tse, the President of Roosevelt in China, they all created the Roosevelt Room & Global Business Forum for Sir Tweed Roosevelt from the United State.
Shanghai was also where Charmaine met her first love. He came from a well-known developer family in Hong Kong. They met and were together for five years during which they even had a daughter. But when her daughter was two, an unfortunate incident forced them apart due to family reasons. “It was the hardest time, I had sacrificed a lot because of family pressure from both sides and now had to take care of my little girl,” says Charmaine.
Her parents and friends stepped in and she finally recovered from the turmoil of ups and downs, learning a very important lesson in the process: “Family support is important, but women must be Independent even if they have family burdens. A woman should not give up easily and should endeavour to do her own business or make a career. She should have the rights and responsibilities to protect her kids and families. In my case, I became stronger because I realized that I will have to get up and find meaning in my life.”
Being a single mother at such an early stage was not easy. Charmaine had to learn quickly how to manage family time with work. “I found a good way to spend quality time with my daughter. We started indulging in the same hobbies together like swimming and outdoor yoga. We created a healthy and joyful life at weekends and traveled to other countries during the summers, creating memories along the way,” she recalls.
Nurturing the next generation also made Charmaine realise the significance of family wellness and eventually led to Biogenage. She tells us, “Besides health, climate change is the big challenge we need to face as one. We should take actions to be good influencers to help improve the conditions of the weather changes and achieve Zero Emissions by 2030.”
Charmaine also feels that women must play a very consequential role in the times going forward. “If you talk of strategy, I believe women should create a powerful hub of network with our different abilities and talents to bring transformative changes to entire communities and the world at large. We should create more social activities to support other women and inspire as many people as possible. A sound voice from women folk is important because we could do a lot to support our children, families and future generations,” she states.
