When it comes to management style, Dr Lo is a staunch believer in open communication as the key to a strong corporate framework in which everyone is dedicated to the overall excellence of a business.

At Langham Hotels International, the operating and asset management arm of Great Eagle Holdings, bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and politics avoided.

'I am convinced that this is one of the reasons we find it easy to attract the right people to want to work for the company,' Dr Lo said.

He starts each day early, with nine holes of golf and an hour of swimming. He believes this daily routine helps him work efficiently and effectively.

A strong believer in time management, Dr Lo tries to keep office meetings brief.

'Office meetings should last no longer than 30 minutes,' he said. 'If they do, the participants have not prepared to discuss the topic thoroughly, so they are therefore wasting time.'

On his return to Hong Kong, Dr Lo joined the board of Great Eagle Holdings. He was appointed managing director in 1985.

He was responsible for restructuring the company when it hit financial problems in the early 1980s, and building up a strong recurrent income base.

Dr Lo is also deputy chairman and managing director of Great Eagle Holdings, a property company that owns and manages 1.5 million square feet of grade-A office space in Hong Kong's prime commercial districts and the 1.8 million-sq-ft Langham Place retail and hotel complex in Mongkok.

The group owns three office buildings in the United States, with a floor area of 685,000 sq ft.

Under the former cardiologist's stewardship, Great Eagle's net asset value has increased by almost 80 times since 1984. The group has also diversified its assets into the development of the Langham Hotel Group and built up an international luxury hospitality brand.

The fragrance of ginger, inspired by Dr Lo's fondness for the spice, is used in the company's hotels to create a sense of welcome and freshness, something that is likely to spread as the group steps up its international acquisition and management activities

In Hong Kong, Langham Hotels International owns, manages and operates the 490-room Langham Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, the 665-room Langham Place Hotel in Mongkok and the recently refurbished Eaton Hotel in Nathan Road, Kowloon.

The company also owns and operates luxury hotels in Melbourne, Auckland, Boston and Toronto and the flagship Langham Hotel, London.

'Over the next 10 years we expect to expand the portfolio to about 25 hotels, three or four of which we hope to own. The rest we would manage,' Dr Lo said. 'When you own a hotel, you are in a better position to control every aspect of the operation, from the style and quality of service to the bottom line.

'When the money is coming out of your own pocket, it acts as an incentive to become a little bit different and create a niche where the client perceives you as offering uniqueness.'

Not that the group is given to buying hotels on a whim. Using the same scientific approach he used in his medical research, Dr Lo carefully analyses the demographics, background and geopolitical situation of a location and the local demand, yield, supply and revenue before deciding to invest.

He also takes into account wage costs.

In Hong Kong and London, wage costs account for about 30 per cent of revenue. In the Australian and US hospitality sectors, wage costs are about 40 per cent to 45 per cent of revenue. Wages costs in France account for 60 per cent of revenue, which is one of the reasons Langham Hotels International has yet to invest in hotels in the European market.

It is figures such of these that help Dr Lo keep his finger on the pulse of day-to-day operations. He speaks to hotel managers weekly and reviews occupancy figures daily.

In addition, he visits the overseas locations once or twice a year to talk to staff and management, and, of course, sniff the ginger.

As chairman of the Hospital Authority from 2000-02, Dr Lo was instrumental in establishing the cluster organisational structure of the authority and spearheading financial reforms.

He is also a director of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, and was chairman of the Main Board Listing Committee from 1992-96.

He was awarded the HKSAR Gold Bauhinia Award last year for his contribution over the years to the health care and financial services sectors in Hong Kong.

quick facts

Under Lo Ka-shui's stewardship, Great Eagle's net asset value has increased by almost 80 times what it was back in 1984.

Dr Lo is responsible for diversifying Great Eagle's business activities into the development of the Langham Hotel Group and building it up as an international luxury brand.

Last year, Dr Lo was awarded the HKSAR Gold Bauhinia Award for his contribution to the health-care and financial services sectors in Hong Kong.

Following the adoption of new Hong Kong financial reporting standards, the group's investment properties have appreciated in value, and this increase was reflected in the profit and loss account for the 2005 financial year.

The change in accounting standards was a principal factor behind the increase in first-half income to $2.14billion from $108 million.

Judge's comment

'Lo Ka-shui has shown himself a consummate survivor in Hong Kong business circles, pruning his group's debt exposure after the 1998 financial crisis while at the same time pushing ahead with bold new projects such as Langham Place. This venture suffered many setbacks, but now seems likely to help transform the Mongkok neighbourhood, as was originally intended'

Simon Pritchard

SCMP business editor