Lessons For A Healthy Business
The PEAK Hong Kong|September 2017

Fosun Chairman Guo Guangchang would like you to call him a fellow student, even as he aims to take over the China market for middle class living.

Peggy Sito and Eugene Tang
Lessons For A Healthy Business
When Guo Guangchang bought his first American asset, 28 Liberty Building (formerly known as One Chase Manhattan Plaza) in the financial district of New York in 2013, he envisaged American camaraderie and back-slapping good nature throughout his US business. 

He wanted his employees to call him George, recalling an episode in the post-merger integration of the Travelers Group with Citibank in 1998, when the Co-Chairmen Sandy Weill and Co-Chief Executive John Reed stood by the corporate headquarters every morning, shaking every employee’s hand as they walked in. It was an exercise that went on for a year.

“Call me Sandy” or “call me John”, they had supposedly urged. Guo took this anecdote as a lesson in how to deal with Americans.

However, the American employees at the New York office called him Guo Zong (Director Guo), language copied from Chinese officialdom that neither impressed the Shanghai-born businessman, nor was in line with his vision of entrepreneurship. “I started sending out office memos addressing everybody as tongxue (fellow classmates), and signing off myself as Guo tongxue,” he says. “That finally did the trick.”

Aside from studying business, Guo is an ardent student and practitioner of tai chi. He is repeatedly photographed in traditional tai chi garb. It’s more than mere appearances. Fosun’s Hong Kong office, located in the ICBC Tower on Garden Road, occupies some of the world’s most expensive commercial real estate. Even so, at least 800 square feet of space has been given over to a tai chi studio, adding about HK$200,000 to the company’s monthly rent. Fosun has one of these in every single one of its offices worldwide, where staff are encouraged to turn up early in the mornings for tai chi lessons.

Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av The PEAK Hong Kong.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av The PEAK Hong Kong.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE PEAK HONG KONGSe alt
Supercar Condos
The PEAK Hong Kong

Supercar Condos

This new property project is set to be the perfect spot for elite supercar owners to store and show off their rides. 

time-read
1 min  |
October 2017
New Gear
The PEAK Hong Kong

New Gear

Lamborghini unveils an upgraded supercar that boasts breathtaking performance with open-air driving thrills.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2017
Aquatic Timekeeper
The PEAK Hong Kong

Aquatic Timekeeper

As a nod to the futuristic glass bathysphere from The Abyss, this timepiece raises the bar for horological aesthetics by marrying abstract visual concepts with mechanical wonders.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2017
A New Way To Do Business
The PEAK Hong Kong

A New Way To Do Business

Attracting and retaining a creative workforce is a perpetual challenge. The answer may lie in B Corps, a certification process that’s focused on the societal impact a company has.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2017
Circular Opportunities
The PEAK Hong Kong

Circular Opportunities

Why Hong Kong companies should start turning their waste into a supply source.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2017
The Game Changer
The PEAK Hong Kong

The Game Changer

After years spent residing in Spain, Paris and the US, Northacre CEO Niccolò Barattieri di San Pietro now has his eyes set on London. The forward-thinking property giant is aiming to restore the former glory back into historical developments in the British capital.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2017
The Quiet Giant
The PEAK Hong Kong

The Quiet Giant

Dr Jonathan Choi wears a lot of hats and sobriquets as he heads up low profile conglomerate Sunwah Group. But with a rising tide of interest in ASEAN and a pending free trade deal, the quiet days may get a little noiser.

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2017
The Boutique Experience in Mexico City
The PEAK Hong Kong

The Boutique Experience in Mexico City

When it comes to Latin America, Mexico is Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner and the biggest buyer of Hong Kong exports.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2016
Discovering the Dark Side
The PEAK Hong Kong

Discovering the Dark Side

Following a growth in the number of protected 'dark sky places' and stargazing travel destinations, all of which offer visitors increasingly luxurious ways to gaze in awe at the night sky, there has never been a more exciting time for astrotourism.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2016
The Sparkle Makeover
The PEAK Hong Kong

The Sparkle Makeover

From cars to yachts, here's what one pioneering outfitter is doing to add bling to big ticket items.

time-read
1 min  |
December 2017