2019-10-01 Robb Report

The Business

174 OCTOBER 2019

WILLIAM FURNISS

got into sailing, and I never looked back.”

The couple waited to make it a regular

part of their lives until both of their

sons (now 12 and 15) could swim. Five

years ago, when the younger one started

swimming, they bought the Oyster 885

sailing yacht Lush.

Hadida has turned his passion for

sailing into a business venture and

acknowledges that some people say that

isn’t a good idea. “But I’m doing it, and

so far, everything I’ve done has worked.

There’s no question that we’re achieving

what we want to achieve. And by this

time next year, we will be well into the

land of profitability.”

The next step in Hadida’s plan of

attack is marketing, which he says the

company has essentially ignored over

the past five years. “Marketing is what

gets us the leads, which then convert

into sales,” he says. He envisions opening

a brick-and-mortar shop and an online

configurator clients can use to design

their boats. Oyster has resumed flying

its banners at the high-profile boat

shows as well, displaying a new Oyster

675 at September’s Cannes Yachting

Festival and the freshly refit Lush at the

Monaco show. Plus, the company will

continue to host its biennial World Rally,

which circumnavigates the globe over a

two-year period, and two annual Oyster

Regattas. “When you look at the last

half-dozen boats we’ve sold, everyone

is from a different country—Japan,

Brazil, Germany. So our customers are

everywhere in the world. We have

to get the name, the brand, out there to

every country.”

The next World Rally is scheduled to

set sail from Antigua in January 2022 and

head west, ultimately finishing back in

Antigua in April 2023. The rally is a non-

competitive circumnavigation that takes

advantage of the best sailing grounds

and is open to Oyster yacht owners,

with professional shore support at key

stopover points and help getting through

the Panama Canal.

Looking ahead, Hadida says that

society’s growing concerns about

climate change are on Oyster’s side.

“The young people of today are so much

more educated in all things green

and environmentally powerful,” Hadida

says. “My firm belief is that it’s going

to be less and less acceptable to

drive into a beautiful bay in a large,

noisy motor yacht. I think we

will revert back to the oldest form of

transportation—sailing.”

Any regrets about buying the

company? “Not for one second,” Hadida

says. “I feel proud. I feel excited. It’s a

totally different thing [from Evolution

Gaming]. It’s a labor of love.”

No detail is too small for Sonia Cheng to consider when it comes

to personalizing the properties in her Rosewood Hotel Group.

That goes especially for the new Rosewood Hong Kong, which

the 38-year-old CEO opened earlier this year in her hometown

on the waterfront property that her grandfather first

developed more than four decades ago. “I know exactly what

is lacking in the hotel market here and what Hong Kong

people would want to see,” says Cheng, sitting in the hotel’s

commodious bridal suite inspired by her own search for

wedding venues. “Every Rosewood property has an individuality

where it celebrates the local culture.” The Harvard-educated

entrepreneur worked in investment banking and private equity

before taking the helm of her family’s Rosewood brand in 2011

and leading its expansion. Now overseeing a portfolio of 67

properties globally and a brood of four young children at home,

Cheng appears to be juggling it all. HILARIE M. SHEETS

What’s the biggest challenge

of running a company?

Hiring and developing the

right people. It’s a people

business. So, managing

different personalities,

different backgrounds,

different skill sets, being

able to identify the

strengths and weaknesses:

It’s crucial for the business.

What do you look for in an

employee?

Passion, humility and

being collaborative.

What’s the best business

advice you were given?

My father and my

grandfather gave me lots

of advice. My father always

emphasized that people

will make your business

successful. My grandfather

was a very humble man

even though he was so

successful. That was also

how he built a really great

loyal team that helped

build his empire.

What’s the first thing you do

when you get into the office?

As soon as I arrive, it’s

straight to the emails.

Your biggest pet peeve at work?

Texting on the phone or

when people get distracted

by the phone when we’re in

a meeting.

Your preferred form of

communication?

I’ve been using WhatsApp

a lot. It’s quick and easy

messaging. But email still

works because it gives you

time to think before

responding. Sometimes

with WhatsApp, because

you know people are

waiting for your reply, you

can be too hasty. In the end,

an in-person meeting is best

to encourage transparency

and communication.

That’s what holds a culture

together.

What do you do every day to

keep yourself sane?

I try to fit in a workout. I

run on a treadmill at home

or take kickboxing and

circuit training classes near

our office. It’s quite

efficient, like 45 minutes.

What would you tell your

younger self?

When I was younger, I

was even more impatient.

I tended to want to move

things very quickly,

sometimes too quickly.

It’s important to take the

time to really think

through strategies and

decisions. That would be

something I would

advise my younger self.

What’s something that

you would want to improve

in your work life?

Work-life balance. I’m

always trying to find a

good balancing point. It’s

never easy. I think trying

to find time for myself

is important.

Do you believe in to-

do lists?

I do. My list is so long.

It’s never-ending.

How do you cultivate female

leadership in the company?

We don’t actually make an

effort to make sure that

we hire women. We hire

for the skill set rather than

the gender. For some

reason, most of our senior

leadership is female.

It’s just natural.

Out of Office with

SONIA CHENG

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

ROSEWOOD HOTEL GROUP

G2G_Oct_BIZ_OysterYachtsREV.indd 174 9/4/19 10:45 AM

The Business

174 OCTOBER 2019

WILLIAM FURNISS

got into sailing, and I never looked back.”

The couple waited to make it a regular

part of their lives until both of their

sons (now 12 and 15) could swim. Five

years ago, when the younger one started

swimming, they bought the Oyster 885

sailing yacht Lush.

Hadida has turned his passion for

sailing into a business venture and

acknowledges that some people say that

isn’t a good idea. “But I’m doing it, and

so far, everything I’ve done has worked.

There’s no question that we’re achieving

what we want to achieve. And by this

time next year, we will be well into the

land of profitability.”

The next step in Hadida’s plan of

attack is marketing, which he says the

company has essentially ignored over

the past five years. “Marketing is what

gets us the leads, which then convert

into sales,” he says. He envisions opening

a brick-and-mortar shop and an online

configurator clients can use to design

their boats. Oyster has resumed flying

its banners at the high-profile boat

shows as well, displaying a new Oyster

675 at September’s Cannes Yachting

Festival and the freshly refit Lush at the

Monaco show. Plus, the company will

continue to host its biennial World Rally,

which circumnavigates the globe over a

two-year period, and two annual Oyster

Regattas. “When you look at the last

half-dozen boats we’ve sold, everyone

is from a different country—Japan,

Brazil, Germany. So our customers are

everywhere in the world. We have

to get the name, the brand, out there to

every country.”

The next World Rally is scheduled to

set sail from Antigua in January 2022 and

head west, ultimately finishing back in

Antigua in April 2023. The rally is a non-

competitive circumnavigation that takes

advantage of the best sailing grounds

and is open to Oyster yacht owners,

with professional shore support at key

stopover points and help getting through

the Panama Canal.

Looking ahead, Hadida says that

society’s growing concerns about

climate change are on Oyster’s side.

“The young people of today are so much

more educated in all things green

and environmentally powerful,” Hadida

says. “My firm belief is that it’s going

to be less and less acceptable to

drive into a beautiful bay in a large,

noisy motor yacht. I think we

will revert back to the oldest form of

transportation—sailing.”

Any regrets about buying the

company? “Not for one second,” Hadida

says. “I feel proud. I feel excited. It’s a

totally different thing [from Evolution

Gaming]. It’s a labor of love.”

NodetailistoosmallforSoniaChengtoconsiderwhenitcomes

topersonalizingthepropertiesinherRosewoodHotelGroup.

ThatgoesespeciallyforthenewRosewoodHongKong,which

the38-year-oldCEOopenedearlierthisyearinherhometown

onthewaterfrontpropertythathergrandfatherfirst

developedmorethanfourdecadesago.“Iknowexactlywhat

islackinginthehotelmarkethereandwhatHongKong

peoplewouldwanttosee,”saysCheng,sittinginthehotel’s

commodiousbridalsuiteinspiredbyherownsearchfor

weddingvenues.“EveryRosewoodpropertyhasanindividuality

whereitcelebratesthelocalculture.”TheHarvard-educated

entrepreneurworkedininvestmentbankingandprivateequity

beforetakingthehelmofherfamily’sRosewoodbrandin 2011

andleadingitsexpansion.Nowoverseeingaportfolioof 67

propertiesgloballyandabroodoffouryoungchildrenathome,

Chengappearstobejugglingitall.HILARIEM.SHEETS

What’sthebiggestchallenge

ofrunningacompany?

Hiringanddevelopingthe

rightpeople.It’sapeople

business.So,managing

differentpersonalities,

differentbackgrounds,

differentskillsets,being

abletoidentifythe

strengthsandweaknesses:

It’scrucialforthebusiness.

Whatdoyoulookforinan

employee?

Passion,humilityand

beingcollaborative.

What’sthebestbusiness

adviceyouweregiven?

Myfatherandmy

grandfathergavemelots

ofadvice.Myfatheralways

emphasizedthatpeople

willmakeyourbusiness

successful.Mygrandfather

wasaveryhumbleman

eventhoughhewasso

successful.Thatwasalso

howhebuiltareallygreat

loyalteamthathelped

buildhisempire.

What’sthefirstthingyoudo

whenyougetintotheoffice?

AssoonasIarrive,it’s

straighttotheemails.

Yourbiggestpetpeeveatwork?

Textingonthephoneor

whenpeoplegetdistracted

bythephonewhenwe’rein

ameeting.

Yourpreferredformof

communication?

I’vebeenusingWhatsApp

alot.It’squickandeasy

messaging.Butemailstill

worksbecauseitgivesyou

timetothinkbefore

responding.Sometimes

withWhatsApp,because

youknowpeopleare

waitingforyourreply,you

canbetoohasty.Intheend,

anin-personmeetingisbest

toencouragetransparency

andcommunication.

That’swhatholdsaculture

together.

Whatdoyoudoeverydayto

keepyourselfsane?

Itrytofitinaworkout.I

runonatreadmillathome

ortakekickboxingand

circuittrainingclassesnear

ouroffice.It’squite

efficient,like 45 minutes.

Whatwouldyoutellyour

youngerself?

WhenIwasyounger,I

wasevenmoreimpatient.

Itendedtowanttomove

thingsveryquickly,

sometimestooquickly.

It’simportanttotakethe

timetoreallythink

throughstrategiesand

decisions.Thatwouldbe

somethingIwould

advisemyyoungerself.

What’ssomethingthat

youwouldwanttoimprove

inyourworklife?

Work-lifebalance.I’m

alwaystryingtofinda

goodbalancingpoint.It’s

nevereasy.Ithinktrying

tofindtimeformyself

isimportant.

Doyoubelieveinto-

dolists?

Ido.Mylistissolong.

It’snever-ending.

Howdoyoucultivatefemale

leadershipinthecompany?

Wedon’tactuallymakean

efforttomakesurethat

wehirewomen.Wehire

fortheskillsetratherthan

thegender.Forsome

reason,mostofoursenior

leadershipisfemale.

It’sjustnatural.

Out of Office with

SONIA CHENG

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

ROSEWOOD HOTEL GROUP