Still, under his watch the company has thrived, and won the Directors of the Year Award from the Hong Kong Institute of Directors in 2006.

Today's heavy demand for Chinese stocks - look at the crop of H shares and red chips currently planning share issues in Shanghai - is a far cry from the days in 1994 when Cosco Pacific first listed in Hong Kong. The share price dropped 19 per cent on its debut due to global economic uncertainty as well as lack of interest in Chinese stocks.

Now, the stock trades above HK$20, almost eight times its debut at HK$2.88.

The company is also now considering listing in the mainland.

Mr Wong is a music lover and has previously worked in the securities and banking industry. He obtained his Master of Business Administration degree from Andrews University in Michigan in 1992.

You were born in Hong Kong and educated in the United States. Did you find it hard to work with your colleagues from the mainland?

It is not easy. Hong Kong and mainland executives have different backgrounds and different views on doing things.

Hong Kong people set an objective and go for it. We pay a lot attention to achieving goals and less attention to how other people think. We do not care whether our colleagues are happy with it. Hong Kong people think as long as we can improve shareholder value and make a profit, we have done our job.

When you work with mainland companies, you have to consider if the plan is supported by the top management, the middle management and the junior management - simply speaking, everybody. Without their consensus and support, you could not get your work done.

As a Hong Kong executive in a mainland firm, you need to work harder to fit in.

Do mainland executives like to work with Hong Kong executives and is it hard to convince them to accept good corporate governance practices?

It would be painful if it was not the case. My mainland colleagues respect local culture and skills.

There maybe different opinions among us sometimes but we all want to achieve profitability and good corporate governance standards.

Many people criticise mainland companies for not having good corporate governance practices. Why?

Good corporate governance includes the issue of timely disclosure as well as the quality of information given.

In terms of timely disclosure, Chinese companies which issue A shares or H shares have been very timely in that they release information on a quarterly basis. That is more frequent than Hong Kong-listed companies which only issue results every six months. But the market also needs quality disclosure. In terms of the quality of the information disclosed, there is room for improvement.

Cosco Pacific is the first red-chip company to sponsor the Hong Kong Institute of Directors' corporate governance awards. Why?

Cosco Pacific has been an advocate of good corporate governance since its listing in 1994. We take corporate governance as a means to increase shareholder value. This explains why in the past 13 years, we have won many awards in this area.

Do you think having high transparency and good corporate governance increases costs and hurts the bottom line?

We don't believe that. When a woman spend thousands of dollars buying perfume or cosmetics, you don't treat those items as 'costs' that build up her image. Likewise, when companies spend money and effort to improve their corporate governance standards, such as building up internal control systems and hiring independent directors, they are investments in intangible assets and build up their credibility.

What is the key to maintaining good corporate governance standards?

Directors and senior executives have to set a clear vision on what standards they should achieve.

They also have to have the right people to deliver the business and corporate governance objectives. As a result, we need to have a competitive compensation scheme and transparency mechanisms to tie up staff payment with their performance.

Companies also need to keep good investor relations which means you have to be very focused on communicating with shareholders. We need a list of clear messages, not gimmicks, to give to investors on our corporate strategies and mission. We also have to communicate constantly with the shareholders on how the strategy is working.

China Cosco Holdings, parent company of Cosco Pacific, plans to sell A shares in Shanghai. Will Cosco Pacific also plan to list in the mainland?

The mainland authorities are encouraging red chips to consider A-share listings in China. Cosco is studying the opportunities. It is a major part of the evolution of the regulatory regime for red-chip companies to return to list in the mainland markets.

What is the outlook for the port industry?

We are very optimistic regarding the outlook in China. With export growth in the mainland, we have seen utilisation of ports increase at least 20 per cent annually in the past six to seven years.

Also since China joined the World Trade Organisation in 2002, the mainland has reduced import taxes and this has led to a leap in imports.

Let's turn the conversation to yourself. Why did you join the port operator?

I mainly worked in financial acquisitions and investor relations and had nothing to do with ports. But I got the chance to join the company as we needed board members with different skills.

Are there any regrets in your career? Could you have earned more money if you stayed with investment banks?

We have a salary and option scheme so our pay is reasonable. I think one also has to pay attention to job satisfaction. It is very satisfying for me to assist the company to aggressively expand its business while at the same time catching up with international corporate governance standards. That is worth far more than money.

What do you do besides work?

Even though you may work like hell already, you should still consider squeezing in time to do some public duties. It helps you to see things from another angle and gives you new inspiration.

I am chairman of the Chinese Orchestra and give my advice on the administration of the organisation.

How do you compare yourself now with before you joined the company?

When I joined the company, I was 36. Now I am 46. I have learnt to see things from the bigger picture and gain support from other senior management and the rest of the staff. In the next 10 years, I would continue to work for the company to achieve a higher shareholder value.