Man of many talents
Ow Chio Kiat's success in varied arenas has made him an icon in business and diplomatic circles.
WHETHER he's transforming his family's shipping business, building a world-class hospitality brand from scratch Down Under or making nice with government officials in Canberra or Buenos Aires, Ow Chio Kiat is clearly a man of many talents.
His ability to take on these multi-faceted challenges has made him an icon in both business and diplomatic circles. It has also garnered him an SG50 Outstanding Chinese Business Pioneers Award.
Mr Ow's business interest straddles the hospitality and shipping sectors through two listed entities: Sydney-based hospitality group Stamford Land Corporation and shipping group Singapore Shipping Corporation (SSC). He was just 16 when he inherited Hai Sun Hup, his father's wooden tongkang, or barge, business after the latter had passed away in 1962.
After a successful listing of the shipping entity in the late 1980s, Hai Sun Hup diversified into hospitality, spending around A$300 million (S$315 million) on high-end hotels in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth from international chains such as the Intercontinental, Regent and Ritz-Carlton.
Stamford Land is today a key player in the Australian property and hospitality markets, with a portfolio of high-end hotels and properties under the Stamford brand in key Australian and New Zealand cities. Mr Ow, 68, reveals that he is currently building the biggest single housing project in North Sydney that will feature 650 units of apartments.
"Under SSC we have built an international reputation as a ship-owner being tonnage suppliers and are the only specialized owner of a fleet of Pure Car Truck Carriers in this region," he explains in an interview with The Business Times. "At Stamford Land, we have successfully built and operated the household brand name of Stamford in the Australasia region for the past 20 years in competition against all the global brand names."
His success in Australia saw him become the first person from Singapore's private sector to be appointed Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia. He received the award - a blue medallion - from the then Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard two years ago for his role in boosting Singapore-Australia ties.
His skills in diplomacy led to his appointment as Honorary Consul-General of the Slovak Republic to Singapore from 2001 to 2007. Since 2007, he has been Singapore's non-resident ambassador to Argentina.
Looking ahead, Mr Ow sees the key challenge for his business as being able to remain relevant as it continues to compete in the global market place.
"Relevant as in being able to secure competitive financing, harnessing high calibre Singapore executives with the right attitude to help drive our expansion strategies to survive in the global market place," he says.
