Biz Buzz

Most conferences can be dull and full of serious stuff to be shared with top executives. Fortunately, not all speakers are dull and Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, just proved that.

At The Nation International Conference, he wisely connected his business to that of Thai Airways, which drew laughter from the audience. As THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuvan talked about the airline’s business plans to promote regional connectivity, Ho said with 37 hotels in 28 destinations, two-thirds of them could be served by THAI. And to CEOs attending the conference, he said his business empire has enough properties to host all their conferences.

The funniest part was when he answered a question from the floor on how he had come up with the name Banyan Tree for his group. 

Ho said he had two answers: a real one, and a corporate PR one.

Outlining the real reason, he recalled that in his younger days when he was newly married, he moved to Hong Kong. With little money, the poor journalist and his wife could afford only accommodation in a fishing village called Banyan Tree Bay. 

 “When we’re better off, we are reminded of the true values. The place was not luxury but it’s the true meaning of your life. When you think about the connection with your partner, it’s the best part of what we had,” he said.

That’s the reason why they named their hotel and resort empire “Banyan Tree”. 

But the corporate reason he gives for the name is that a banyan tree can grow quickly and anywhere. Well, that’s for marketing purposes. 

Audiences would love to have him back here soon. He must have much more to share. 

 

 

Woes of CEOs 

A work-life balance is hard to achieve for all and it is proving even harder for chief executives. 

Tisco Financial Group CEO Oranuch Apisaksirikul is one among them. At 54, she is more concerned about her health. She said it requires more attention now as her weight has hit 60kg, which is considered on the higher side for her height. 

Extensive exercising at home is a must but the benefits are wiped away by too many dinners with clients.

CEOs of most companies may be complaining about too many meetings. Oranuch has been in the position long enough to realise that it is part of the top job. What concerns her more is the obligation to clients. As part of her routine, dinners with her clients are part of the job. And usually, her clients prefer western cuisine, which are heavy with butter and cheese.

What she finds most agitating is that while a customer may be able to devour as much as they can as it might be the only western meal they may be having in a week or a month, Oranuch has to eat it several times in a week, and this dents her hope of losing weight. 

Her woes are not likely to end any time soon as she has six more years to retirement. The bad news is that Tisco recently extended the retirement age to 65. Probably Oranuch will have to carry her own food when meeting clients – if she is really serious about controlling her weight and health.