Turning setbacks into opportunities - interview with Bernard Chan

During a varied career which has included high-profile stints as a banker, businessman, Legislative Councillor, and protector of Hong Kong’s heritage, Bernard Chan has proved to himself – and others – that a person’s choice of degree subject in no way limits their future career options.

Having graduated with a major in studio art from a leading US university, Chan was initially beset by doubt when he went into business. Sitting in meetings with colleagues or clients who had formal qualifications in economics, finance, marketing or management, plus years of experience, he used to worry about what he didn’t know and what traps might lie in wait.

In time, though, he came to realise that this difference in background could also be turned to his advantage. Firstly, he simply recognised that everyone has certain strengths and weaknesses. And secondly, he saw that his own training in a creative discipline allowed him to offer new ideas and perspectives where others had a tendency to resort to the usual formulas and strategies.

“There is no doubt my skills are more on the creative side,” says Chan, who admits to being not really a details or numbers person. “I’m a fast learner, good at looking for new angles and building relationships. Over the years, I have also learned that it is important to stay positive, even when things aren’t going your way.”

That lesson effectively began during Chan’s first year at university. Like many contemporaries, he had chosen to study economics, but ill health unfortunately intervened. Forced to spend lengthy periods recuperating back home in Hong Kong, and with family in Thailand, he found it was still possible to gain credits for independent off-campus study of the arts.

“I did that for three years, in between hospital visits and recovery, and really enjoyed it,” Chan says. “I ended up switching from economics to studio art and, towards the end of the course, had to present my work in a gallery. In other circumstances, I would never have done something like this, but it was an accidental opportunity, and meant I was lucky enough to finish college just one year behind the usual four.”