Good management, family-style

SMU Vice President (Office of Business Development) Professor Annie Koh and Chairman of the SMU Board of Trustees and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings Ho Kwon Ping were among the panellists at the HSBC Private Bank Family Enterprise Forum held in Singapore. Mr Ho said that he is careful to distinguish between “owning” and “managing” his business, adding that both his children recognised the value inherent in ensuring that the next generation is exposed to the workings of the company and their place in the family business. In another panel discussion where Prof Koh was a moderator, she added that the emotional dimension in a family business has positive influence on the business, which gives the family the freedom to make tough decisions with love while not bringing emotion into the business itself.