Stepping into father's shoes - one step at a time

Philip Kadoorie, the 29-year-old fourth-generation apparent heir, will bear more responsibilities at CLP when the time is ripe.

Board chairman Michael Kadoorie, 79, sidestepped a question over when he will leave the board, saying he is inspired by his father, Lawrence Kadoorie, who worked until he died at the age of 94 in 1993.

"I am not necessarily going to follow that, but that might be an indicator," said Michael Kadoorie, who became board chairman in 1997 when he was 56.

His son, Philip, a non-executive director of the power company and a member of its sustainability committee, also could follow in their footsteps.

"Being part of the family business is a privilege. There's a lot of history and there's a lot to be proud of," Philip Kadoorie said.

He also said his parents were "very human" when dealing with difficulties out of their control. "That's something very inspiring," he said. "So no matter what the trouble you have on a day, we eventually come together. At the end of the day, we love each other and we are here to support each other."

Philip Kadoorie is a non-executive director of the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, which operates luxury hotels under The Peninsula brand, as well as several real estate and tourism assets, including the Repulse Bay, the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram.

Before his appointment to the board of the hotel company in 2017, he worked as an intern at Schroders Bank in London, CLP Group and commercial property companies.

He earned a bachelor of science degree in communication from Boston University.

A licensed helicopter pilot under the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States, he is a director at Heliservices (Hong Kong) and business aviation services provider Metroject, which is owned by the Kadoorie family.

He said CLP and the hotel company are like "a big family."

"You don't work with people for a long time and not care for them. You do care for them," he said.

He also said he has learned some tips in running the hotel business, as expected, from his father.

"My father says you've got to aim at 130 percent because if you aim at 130 percent, you might achieve 90 percent."

On the other hand, Michael Kadoorie said: "I think we all have to learn on our own. I wouldn't say there is any magic.

"You look at history, you look at where you are, and you learn from your colleagues and you hope that the direction, as a community you take collectively, is the right one.

"You may make a few errors. That's human, as long as you don't make too many."