Hospitality comes with integrity
Born on the mainland but raised in Hong Kong, Miguel Ko, chairman and president for Asia-Pacific at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, has spent most of his career in the hospitality industry. From 1979 until 1992, he served in increasingly senior positions within ITT Sheraton Corporation, including president of the ITT Sheraton Asia-Pacific division. He also spent seven years as Asia-Pacific president at Pepsi-Cola International, where he oversaw the soft-drink company's brand-building efforts in China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. In his present role, Ko is responsible for the strategic overview of the operating and financial performance of 150 hotels and resorts, with more than 50,000 rooms and 45,000 associates in 21 countries in Asia-Pacific. Before this appointment, Ko was deputy chairman and CEO of CDL Hotels International. The recipient of several major industry awards, including Travel Weekly's Visionary Leader of the Year in 2007, Ko is widely recognised for his Asia-Pacific, tourism and hospitality knowledge. He talks to Chris Davis.
What does your role involve?
As Starwood is a global company, my time is focused on overseeing strategy and sustainability, and helping Starwood to develop. There is a lot happening in Asia, where we are the largest upscale hotel company. My work also includes spending time with high-potential people we have identified across the organisation as future managers and leaders of the business.
How would you describe your style of leadership?
I operate on a high-trust model. My job is to pick the best people to run the business within the culture and operating parameters of the organisation. I include myself when I say I expect the highest level of integrity to generate business results, which includes how the company is viewed and is not limited to financial performance.
How difficult is it to build loyalty when so many people are conditioned to think short-term only?
Loyalty is without doubt a two-way street. It begins by hiring the right people whose career aspirations are aligned with the company. At the same time, it is not appropriate to expect loyalty from employees without an organisation showing loyalty by, for example, running a business that is performance-based where employees are promoted on merit. My leadership team averages more than 20 years with the company, which to me speaks volumes about loyalty.
Which three broad themes will be most important for the business world in the next decade?
The most overarching theme is true globalisation. There are few businesses that can afford to take a single-country view when clients, human resources and supplies originate from all over the world. Businesses must align strategies to consider this. Businesses also need to recognise the power of the internet and its impact on buying, selling, recruiting and training. Additionally, companies cannot afford to ignore the growing influence of Generation Y. This includes the way they look at the world, what they want to buy and the way they want to run organisations, and be managed as employees. At the Singapore Human Summit last month, I spoke about how globalisation of young Asian enterprises is changing workforce profiles and about the new leadership and HR capabilities required to meet new challenges.
What should young people focus on if they want to succeed in your profession?
Young people have a much better start these days through better education and tend to be more worldly wise because of the internet, but they still need to be prepared to take a long-term view towards developing their career. There is no replacement for working hard, being dedicated and passionate about what you do. These are attributes that define the difference between an OK hospitality manager and a great manager.
Industry leader
Ko used his extensive tenure in the hospitality industry to expand and develop hotels and resorts under the Starwood brand
He is acknowledged for his insights into the Asian hospitality industry and often invited to comment as an industry leader
He encourages staff to be creative without fear of failure or repercussions
