The Power Of One

With a focus on bridging the gap between the east and west, Tsangs group chairman Patrick Tsang is on a mission to make the world a better place.

- Emily Pidgeon

Growing up as a Chinese boy in Northern Ireland during a time of intense political unrest, Patrick Tsang was never short of challenges. From being sent to school without knowing a word of English to being bullied, it was these hurdles that helped the Chairman of Tsangs Group forge his mission for a global village.

“Every step of the way, I always had things blocking me,” Patrick tells The CEO Magazine. “I had glass ceilings when I was younger. The idea of a glass ceiling is self prophesied – the only person setting the limits is yourself.”

Overcoming his childhood challenges to become a successful lawyer, Patrick went on to become a financier and entrepreneur, and the fourth generation to take over the role as Chairman of his family office after his father’s passing.

BUILDING AN EMPIRE

With a passion for bridging the East with the West, it’s not just a mission of the Tsangs Group, but a vision Patrick’s Hakka ancestors have explored for centuries. Coming from a long line of fishermen and farmers, his grandfather was the first of the Tsang family to be formally educated.

From the age of 12, his grandfather was working full-time for the family business in Lai Chi Wo, the now UNESCO World Heritage Listed village in Hong Kong. “My great grandfather knew the pen and not the sword was the thing that controlled the world,” Patrick explains anecdotally. “My grandfather left Hong Kong in 1956 on a ship to Liverpool, sailing for two months at the age of 27.”