The secret to successful flat sales in Hong Kong? Be crazy
Cheung Kong's executive director Justin Chiu Kwok-hung was a hit with his costumes at sales events, now he lets his staff run with their ideas
What do James Bond, Elvis Presley and an Arab sheikh have in common? Justin Chiu Kwok-hung.
The Cheung Kong (Holdings) executive director single-handedly made the city's property launch events more colourful and fun in the early 2000s, dressing up as these characters and attracting both media coverage and buyer interest.
Now a mellow 62, Chiu these days tends to take the back seat in project launches, giving his staff a free hand to host the shows.
"This is the management philosophy of Cheung Kong. My boss [Victor Li Tzar-kuoi] gives me a free hand in marketing our properties, and I give my subordinates a free hand," he said.
Chiu graduated from Trent University in Ontario, Canada, in 1978, with a degree in sociology and economics. After a four-year stint at Sino Land and 15 years at Hang Lung Group, he joined Cheung Kong in 1997, starting with retail, commercial leasing and property management, before being put in charge of property sales in 2000.
He currently also chairs four listed real estate investment trusts - Prosperity Reit, Fortune Reit, ARA and Suntec Reit - in Hong Kong and Singapore, all of which are controlled by Cheung Kong.