Property tycoon Cecil Chao Sze-tsung and his daughter, 35-year-old Gigi Chao, have been in the headlines more for their public spats over her sexuality than anything else, but last month Cecil Chao promoted her to vice-chairwoman, an indication that she is heir apparent to the Cheuk Nang business.
Though their very public rows may have led some to believe otherwise, Gigi Chao says she maintains a close relationship with her 78-year-old father and admires his business acumen and sense of style.
"I'm doing what I'm always doing," Chao said about her promotion. "It's really just a change in title. Daddy's still going to be the helm of the company. I enjoy being his chief of staff, if you will. He's misunderstood that he's a playboy but his work is his greatest pride and joy."
Chao said the search for a successor took her father 20 years and revealed that he tested her a decade ago but decided she was not ready. So instead, she set up her own business, Haut Monde Talent, a public relations agency she ran for 10 years.
"Five years ago, he saw the successes I had achieved in my own right and felt compelled to give me a second chance," she said. "And likewise, he tested and observed me, set near-impossible tasks, made me jump through hoops of fire, and it seems this time round I managed to pass."
Other than her father, she mentions British architect Terry Farrell and his team, who "really took me under their wing and showed me the ropes", and flying instructor John Li as mentors.
"A lot of how these men have conducted business, how they talk to people, when to initiate a conversation," she said. "I think that by just being around them, you understand their thought process and decision making - how and when to take action. That kind of really almost easy, reflexive thinking that makes a good businessman or woman."