appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Mukul Munish

Pansy Ho learned from a very early age how to manage projects. It was when she was at a Catholic secondary school in Hong Kong that the daughter of casino magnate Stanley Ho was encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities and manage projects.
Now the managing director of Shun Tak Holdings, Ho manages the various business units of a group that is worth billions of dollars. Her most recent achievement was the listing of MGM China Holdings, of which she is chairwoman and executive director. MGM's property, the MGM Macau casino, is a five-star integrated casino and luxury hotel resort located on prime waterfront property.
Ho says it was the experience of leading her classmates in those early days at school that honed her skills to become the successful businesswoman that she is today.
"Even in school on an average basis we had tonnes of various opportunities. We usually had Christmas classroom decoration competitions; we had our own drama, musical and various projects," she says.
At that tender age, Ho learned how to be competitive and how to lobby and fight to be a co-ordinator of activities.
"I was an active member and I loved contributing, so we learned in the very early days that you need to be very driven, you need to have a lot of initiatives, you need to let people hear out ideas - but at the same time, you also need to work with people because you can never do anything on your own," Ho says.
In later years, she would use these people management skills in her business dealings and when she launched a public relations agency.
"Even in those days it became a very important lesson. Then after I got involved directly in business management, you had to work on dollars and cents - then you are learning a different skill set beyond just managing people, and of course you are making sure that the financials are sound. But in general terms, what I did at school was an important lesson."
Ho was just 26 years old when she decided to launch her public relations agency, Occasions, which was the first agency of its kind to cater to high-end fashion brands and celebrities in the city. The launch of Occasions came about at a time when Hong Kong businesses were reaching a turning point.
Ho had an adventurous streak in her when she started the company; there were no fixed clients or target quota set.
"When I started the PR company in the beginning, it was without a fixed formula. We needed to find our own niche to convince people why this small outfit would be beneficial," she says.
"During the '80s, the whole economic environment was very different. The big hongs were dominating the business sector, so they had their own ideas and own ways of doing business and adapting everything. I was lucky in a sense that when I started taking part in PR projects, that was exactly the turning point when Hong Kong became more open even to international companies."
More individuals began to take chances with businesses, and a unique entrepreneurial streak began in the city where hongs once ruled the roost. These individuals also created their own brands and started chains of stores.
"That also helped us to get more business in a way, because ultimately you are not working with or for a handful of companies," Ho says.
Ho learned early that to win business for her fledgling PR company, she would have to think out of the box. She needed to circulate and socialise, and everybody counted as a potential opportunity.
"The important thing is you have to keep abreast of what is going on in the world. So it is not that the business comes to you, you need to be curious enough to learn what the trends are so that you can almost anticipate them," she says. Ho learned that in the topsy-turvy world of PR, there is no such thing as a big client or a small client.
"Even the small clients are important. You never know, a small client can become big," she says.
Occasions operated very differently from a traditional PR agency. Sometimes, Ho says, it had to create certain jobs rather than wait for the job to come to the company. Staff would brainstorm with friends and suggest ways to launch new products.
"You can throw ideas at them because you become so involved - even without prompting, you become part of the team," she says.
Ho says she had a blast during those early days of Occasions. It was fun because she knew they were making a difference and that they were creating buzz in the PR industry.
Now that Occasions is celebrating its silver jubilee, Ho says she can take satisfaction in having created something that has lasted so long.
"I consider Occasions' finishing 25 years an achievement on my part. In terms of return on investment, it has certainly paid off," she says.
Talking of her legendary father, Ho says he has had a tremendous influence on her since childhood.
"My father is one of the most dynamic people in Hong Kong. He is a very generous businessman, a very generous person. In fact, when we were growing up, we considered his qualities as de rigueur to be a businessman - that's how unique and different my father is. He is a hard act to follow. We are very inspired by him," she says.
Looking ahead, Ho would like to explore new areas for business development, perhaps moving beyond Hong Kong and Macau to explore the vast opportunities on the mainland.


#BreakTheBias: women who have challenged stereotypes in the past year

Chinese fighter Zhang Weili ready for UFC title

Woman on a mission: Hong Kong corporate hotshot Eva Cheng gets down to business of public policy

Women Of Our Time

Pansy Ho on the influences that have driven her

Pansy Ho

Pansy Ho learned how to be competitive.

Pansy Ho, who also is chairwoman and executive director of MGM China Holdings, shares a toast with the CEO and executive director, Grant Bowie, during a ceremony to mark their company's debut listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

(From left): Pansy Ho with Eric Ho and Charmaine Ho at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Occasions public relations firm.

Magazines

Style

Celebrities

The daughter of casino magnate Stanley Ho learned to lead at an early age


Pansy Ho on the influences that have driven her

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The daughter of casino magnate Stanley Ho learned to lead at an early age

The daughter of casino magnate Stanley Ho learned to lead at an early age