Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2003

c omp a ny is n ow t a k i ng its a c c umu l a t ed expertise to the ma i n l and, h e l p i ng to spur continued growth. Initially, Dr. Kwo k 's chief contributions were in the areas of law and finance. Then in the 1980s and 90s he began to make his mark as a skilful and imaginative entrepreneur. He led the diversification of the business into areas such as transport, infrastructure, mobile phone operations and information technology, and e x p a n d ed i n to r o ad t r a f f ic and car p a rk ma n a g eme n t. D r . K w o k became a vice- chairman of Kowloon Motor Bus, founded the mobile phone operator SmarTone and i n 2000, l a u n c h e d S U N e V i s i o n , an u m b r e l l a organization of all SHKP's h i gh technology ventures. Dr. Kwok's strategy was to diversify w i t h caution, to g r ow the total SHKP operation organically f r om its core business, property. His entrepreneurial vision was demonstrated i n s t r i k i ng a c h i e v eme n ts of i n n o v a t i ve convergence and synergy between different p a r ts of the bus i nes s. For e x amp l e, he de v e l oped the concept of the ‘ i n t e l l i g e nt h o m e ' , w h i c h i n c o r p o r a t ed a d v a n c ed e l e c t r o n ic t e c h n o l o g i es i n r e s i d e n t i al d e v e l o p m e n t s. S e c u r i ty s y s t ems we re ope r a t ed b y mu l t i - p u r p o se sma rt cards; optical fibre ne t wo r ks b r ought high-speed m u l t i - m e d ia c onne c t i ons to H o n g K o n g homes. He also discovered imaginative ways of using the Internet to keep i n closer touch w i t h clients and consumers. Such was his leadership i n these areas that in the year 2000 D r. K w o k w o n a ‘Top Ten IT A c h i e v e rs Award'. This was just recognition for a decade of i nno v a t i on and creativity that delivered some of the most advanced technical systems to H o n g K o n g business, c omme r ce and ultimately into ordinary households. Two key convictions d r i v i ng Dr. Kwo k 's o u t s t a n d i ng success i n business are the importance of being passionate about what you do and believe and the importance of lifelong learning. Both of these are reflected by the fact that he keeps reading and studying. A t any g i v en t ime he may be r ead i ng a b o ok on management such as In Search of Excellence or From Goodto Great, or taking lessons on reading ancient Chinese texts. At a time when much lip- service is paid to the importance of quality, excellence and continuous improvement, Dr. Kwok stands out by the passion w i th which he pursues these things. Being passionate me a ns b e i ng s e r i o u s, b e i ng so committed to quality that you w i ll not compromise on it. The high respect in which Dr. Kwok is held in Hong Kong is in no small measure due to the fact t h a t h i s c u s t ome r s, i n c l u d i n g individual homebuyers, know that he w i l l listen to their concerns and ideas and that his people w i ll respond quickly and efficiently to them. Being passionate also means leading by example. It is not Dr. Kwo k 's style merely to formulate the core values for his company. He literally walks the talk around his shopping malls, for example, listening to wh at retail tenants are saying. Being open to new ideas, and ready to respond to them, is another core value that Dr. Kw o k models to his staff. Some of SHKP's most successful innovations have come from this two-way communication. A nd staff, clients and tenants i n t u r n respond. Earlier this year, SHKP recruited 500 anti-SARS Ambassadors to help prevent the spread of the disease. For t h is it w o n an A n t i - S ARS Achievement Awa rd f r om Ming Pao Daily and RTHK. Similar awards for e n v i r o nme n t al protection, staff training and charity wo rk have Two key convictions driving Dr. K w o k ' s outstanding success in business are the importance of being passionate about what you do and believe and the importance of lifelong l e a r n i n g . The 60th Congregation 37