IF you ring the offices of MKI Corp and ask for the chairman, a confused receptionist may put you through either to Mr Arthur Lai Cheuk-kwan or to Mr David Tang Wing-cheung.
In fact, it is Mr Tang, known for his promotion of cigar smoking and charity work, who is now chairman of MKI and its 30 per cent owned subsidiary Chesterfield.
Mr Tang took over when Mr Lai resigned in January. A week before, Mr Lai had been ordered to pay a fine of $83.9 million by the High Court after being found guilty of negligence in connection with his company ChinTung Futures and the October 1987 market crash.
''I was delighted to be able to help a friend,'' says Mr Tang, lighting a lump of tobacco nearly the size of his arm. ''Delighted to be able to do something for the company.'' Although Mr Tang has several non-executive directorships, this is his first stint at the helm of a listed company.
The environment at the offices of MKI and Chesterfield in the new Bank of China Tower is different from that in the old Bank of China Building, home of Mr Tang's China Club. He says his main job there recently has been ''hanging pictures and designing the Long March Bar''.
One of Chesterfield's subsidiaries has had to put a property on the market because of cash-flow problems, and Mr Lai's exit has meant many phone calls from companies wishing to buy Chesterfield as a listed shell. Such advances can create regulatory problems, even if they are rebuffed.