Episode 05/ Full Interview: Allan Zeman on being the world’s most famous Canadian Chinese

Allan Zeman, perhaps the world’s most famous Canadian Chinese, has had an extraordinary life and career. Born in Germany and raised in Montreal, Canada, he decided to move to Hong Kong as a young man in order to seek his fortune. He made his first million in the 1970s, with the founding of an export fashion apparel company, The Colby International Group. In the 1980s, he went on to found Hong Kong’s famed nightlife district, Lan Kwai Fong, which boasts over 300 pubs and restaurants. In the 2000s, he helmed the makeover of Hong Kong’s homegrown Ocean Park, where he successfully fought off a challenge from the Disney behemoth. Today, he is the non-executive chairman of Wynn Macau and sits on the boards of most of Hong Kong’s prominent companies, including The Star Ferry Company, Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, Sino Land Company Limited, Tsim Sha Tsui Properties Limited, Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), Global Brands Group Holding Limited and Fosun Tourism Group. He is also the owner of Paradise Properties Group, a property developer in Thailand. Mr. Zeman is one of Hong Kong’s most vocal cheerleaders, and in recognition for his public service, was awarded Hong Kong’s highest honour, the Grand Bauhinia Medal, in 2011. Not a bad outcome for the Jewish-Canadian boy who went East armed with nothing more than pluck and ambition almost half a century ago. Recorded February 5, 2021Show Notes01:30 AZ describes his youth as a newspaper boy and retail salesman in Montreal 06:38 AZ on how he made his first million06:50 AZ on how the Canadian taxman prompted him to move to the other side of the world11:46 AZ on the the secret to doing business across cultures15:20 AZ on the beginning’s of Hong Kong’s storied nightlife district, Lan Kwai Fong24:12 AZ on taking Ocean Park into battle with Disney and winning31:39 AZ on how to take care of your money35:40 AZ on being on the factory floors of the New Territories versus the clubby world of Hong Kong40:08 AZ on his momentous decision to give up his Canadian passport and become a Chinese citizen43:15 AZ on why China seems to be on track to overtake the American economy54:36 AZ on the current situation in Hong Kong57:25 AZ on the Greater Bay Area01:03:18 AZ on the current wave of out-migration from Hong Kong Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.