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Ben Kwok

Job strategy reaps millions for new tycoon club members
Money can't buy love, but it takes good money to buy the services of a former government official and a top banker.
Former secretary for commerce and economic development Frederick Ma Si-hang and former Hang Seng Bank chief executive Raymond Or Ching-fai were back on most newspapers' front pages yesterday after they agreed to work for China Strategic Holdings, which signed a US$2.15 billion cheque to American International Group for its Taiwan life insurer, Nan Shan Life Insurance.
Few people would be surprised about Or's desire to make even more money in his post-banker career.
If you remember, he joined G-Resources Group, an Indonesian gold miner, just three months after retiring as a banker. 
However, many people were shocked at Ma's decision to go back to the business world.
The 57-year-old quit the government 17 months ago for health reasons but was still seen active in public service. He taught as an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong, preached Christianity at the weekend and, most recently, has been a disc jockey for a youth radio programme.
Although Ma never ruled out an interest in business, he has been very selective and declined most local offers because of worries about potential conflicts of interest.
Last year, we gathered Ma was invited to head Li Ka-shing's Husky Energy in Canada. Most recently, he was asked to sit on the board of Rusal, but he turned that down in the wake of the controversy involved.
It was an offer by the tycoon club that he found hard to refuse. Last month, a group of Hong Kong and mainland tycoons - led by New World Development chairman Cheng Yu-tung, Chinese Estates Holdings chairman Joseph Lau Luen-hung and CC Land chairman Cheung Chung-kiu - formed a consortium to acquire Nan Shan, a pricey asset that AIG hoped to unload in Taiwan.  
One could probably say paying HK$3.5 million a year for Ma and HK$9.24 million for Or was about, if not below, the market rate. But the two were smart enough to bargain for a bit more. Ma got 100 million stock options, while Or got  600 million that can be exercised at 10 HK cents in five years.
As China Strategic continued to surge a further 22.7 per cent yesterday to close at 81 HK cents, Ma is sitting on an even bigger paper profit of HK$71 million, while Or has HK$426 million.  
Yes, the two retirees got a lot more than peanuts.
Ex-legal eagle turns to energy
A former top prosecutor has landed a job in a small listed company.
Peter Nguyen, a former director of public prosecutions in the Legal Department of Hong Kong under the British, was made a consultant to Sino Union Energy Investment Group last month after he obtained the government's approval. No compensation details were disclosed.  
Tracker Fund's 10-year gain
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the debut of the Tracker Fund of Hong Kong.
Our question of the day: How much would you have made if you had bought the fund on Day One and held it?  
Answer: A gain of about 76.2 per cent. 
The Tracker Fund closed at HK$22.70 yesterday, compared with the subscription price of HK$12.88.
Not a bad compound annual return of 5 per cent, not including regular dividends.
Patron of the cartoon arts
HSBC Holdings knows the wisdom of 'buy one, get one free'.
Promoting its new cartoon exhibition, chief executive Sandy Flockhart brought in his wife Juliet as an official guest yesterday.
We hear Juliet Flockhart, who is not an HSBC staffer but an art lover, was the one who came up with the idea of cheering the city by showing the work of 25 professional and 15 student cartoonists.
Over two months, the bank will host the cartoon display at some of its branches, with the first showing at its Central headquarters until December 4.
Top-shelf guest of honour
It is common for a senior government official to officiate at an office opening for a Legislative Council member.
But it is somewhat special for legislator David Li Kwok-po to have Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen as the guest of honour at the opening ceremony for his Bank of East Asia building in Singapore.
The new BEA building, to be the hub of the bank's Southeast Asia business, will officially open next Monday.



Lai See