Vincent Lo left his family business to prove his mettle and now runs one of HK's most successful mainland property developers
It is easy to understand why Vincent Lo Hong-sui's leg as an Olympic torchbearer through Shanghai's Xintiandi district gave 'a very special feeling'. The route was one he had traced many times before, first on plans and architectural blueprints, and later across building sites and unmade roads as the surrounding flagship development of restaurants, bars and retail outlets took shape.
Mr Lo's jog with the flame also provided fitting vindication of decisions which had seen him break free from the family firm in his early 20s and, as founder and chairman of the Shui On Group, go on to run one of Hong Kong's most successful developers of mainland property.
That initial move was far from easy. The sixth of nine children, Mr Lo had been brought up in a business-orientated and conservative household. His property tycoon father oversaw Great Eagle Holdings and laid stress on tradition, family values and respect for one's elders. Each child, for example, was expected to kneel and serve tea to their parents at Lunar New Year and, on completing their education, to take a role in line with their seniority and their father's wishes.
For Mr Lo, returning in 1969 from studying overseas, that meant accepting a six-month apprenticeship in a textile mill until a family conference concluded investment in the business was not viable. Summoned back to Great Eagle, he kicked his heels for a couple of years before setting the cat among the pigeons.
'Like all young men, I felt I could do more than being a messenger so went out to find myself a sales job,' he says. 'Any job was better than my father was paying.' The move, when announced, prompted consternation and crisis.
