Winners' thoughts

Individual winners of the Directors of the Year Awards 2007 were selected primarily for their leadership, achievement of strategic business objectives and overall contribution to the effectiveness of their boards

Ng Cheung-shing, chairman and chief executive of Computer and Technologies Holdings, said one key element of good corporate governance was to have a culture dedicated to adopting the best practices. This provided a platform for improvement and for managing the company in a way that maximised shareholder value. It was also of paramount importance to maintain transparency at board level to ensure that the directors were fully informed of all the latest developments and, wherever possible, to aim for unanimity at the conclusion of any decision-making process.

Johnny Yeung Chi-hung, chairman of Fujikon Industrial Holdings, noted that a focus on corporate governance was vital for the integrity of companies and fairness in financial markets. He said that it was also central to establishing good business management practices and provided a foundation upon which investors and other stakeholders could base their trust in a company. In his current role, he made a point of assessing whether the board had the right balance of talent and experience to meet future business and operational objectives.

Steven Yung, chairman of Clear Media, said he was a firm believer in the principle of 'servant leadership'. In practical terms, this meant applying the best practices of the company's largest shareholder, New York-listed Clear Channel, and those recommended by leading institutional investors worldwide. This approach showed that effective corporate governance was a product of the total commitment of all shareholders and, therefore, made it possible to optimise the return on investment.

Thomas Ho On-sing, chief executive of Gammon Construction, said that a board should be committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to all stakeholders. That included employees, customers, suppliers, the environment and the community at large. To achieve that, the company had to promote fairness, transparency, responsibility and accountability. In his opinion, a successful board required a balanced blend of skills and experience, allowing the directors to offer guidance in core areas and to be advocates of innovation.

Fred Lam Tin-fuk, executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC), said his award was recognition for the organisation's excellence in creating value for stakeholders and developing new frontiers for trade. He hoped that the honour would help to highlight the TDC's performance and the fact that it valued not just results, but also the way they were achieved. He added that the TDC was becoming a more transparent and publicly accessible organisation in order to enhance the community's understanding of its work and engage directly with key stakeholders.