A Time For Reflection

It’s that time of year again, when we all look back over the past 12 months and compare our achievements with our original targets, and draw up a list of new wishes for the coming year perhaps being a touch more realistic in the light of experience.

For me, 2013 has had some strange twists and turns. The media work has continued to go quite well: my SCMP column has a modest but significant readership and Backchat on RTHK attracts a dedicated following. The HK Economic Journal stopped translating my columns, which was disappointing, though they have asked me to write for them in English, as has the China Daily.

The executive search has been quiet for me this year, but to offset the fall-off I have picked up some very interesting consultancy work. It will be intriguing to see how the balance goes in 2014. I was finally able to start chairing a group of senior business people under the umbrella of Executives’ Global Network, which turned out to be very interesting and useful (I hope) to those participating.

The biggest disappointment was the delay in proceeding with the work of Excorp Life Sciences. This is procedurally quite complex, but in essence pretty simple: there is technology that will bring massive relief to persons with diseased livers. Let us hope the project gallops forward in the Year of the Horse.

Family-wise, Fanny parted company with Golin Harris and has taken up the cello. May her skills improve and her rehearsals be shorter, or quieter, or somewhere else. Tiffany continues to do well at school and play a fierce game of rugby at weekends. Alex seems much happier now at Elsa High School after a difficult year at a local secondary.

Vincent produced another daughter, making three children for him and the same number of grandchildren for me. Victor also got in on the act by marrying in May. He and Lisa are expecting their first in May 2014. A Horse like the father.

Happy New Year!

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