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(Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for brevity and high for the last 30 years. In some areas, they are 20 times higher.
clarity.) It’s also complicated because some manufacturing is shifting to
Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam — so logistics is no longer
To begin, how would you describe the current state of looking at a single country of origin. It also has to consider
the supply chain in East Asia? shipping out from other origins.
Ken Lo: I think the supply chain has become very messy, and the
supply-demand balance has been lost. I think people didn’t Please tell us about your work. What types of projects
expect that the pandemic would last this long — and it was just and what sectors are your focus?
the starting point of the chaos. Lo: Currently, I’m at EY in a consulting role, and my key area is
Some of the disruption is coming from changes in the focusing on the e-commerce- and logistics-related projects. My
shipping industry. Shipping companies are facing labour background includes operations, IT, and analytical — so it’s like a
shortages. Fewer people want to work on the sea, so shippers are mixture of that.
shifting their resources to their most profitable links. For example, one client might be a buying office that has faced
Meanwhile, demand on those routes is getting higher and higher. supply chain chaos in these two years, which has created a lot of
And, finally, charges for cross-border deliveries are at a record instability and irregularity in terms of their shipments. They

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