Knocking on Opportunity’s Door
Salon International Chairman Leung Chi Kuong has a penchant for boldly venturing into unfamiliar territory. Hailing from a poor family, he spent 18 years with the Macau police force—during which he received an award for outstanding service—before deciding to switch to a career in gaming. Recognising the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity created by the liberalisation of Macau’s gaming industry, and the subsequent heady boom in tourism and casino revenue, he set up a Macau junket operation in 2005.
Starting out in small city casinos, Mr Leung moved to grander establishments as the scope of his business expanded. Today, he runs seven junket operations in Macau (at the Grand Lisboa, Sands, Altria, Venetian, Ponte 16 and MGM Grand) and two in Australia (at Crown Melbourne and Star City), in addition to Salon’s business in the Philippines. In keeping with the steep trajectory of the growth and development of Salon, Mr Leung has led the company on a hugely successful foray into online gaming, and is now eyeing a grand beachfront casino resort of his own in the Philippines. He also has interests in real estate and property investment in Macau and Beijing.
Mr Leung got a harsh lesson in facing adversity when, at the peak of his career with the police force, he was injured during training and forced to spend two years in a wheelchair. His doctor recommended he amputate his right leg, but Mr Leung refused to give in. He endured gruelling physiotherapy sessions, and searched ceaselessly for a cure. Eventually, he arrived at the door of Dr David Fang—brother of famed former Hong Kong legislator Anson Chan—who offered him a new antibiotic, which literally helped him get back on his feet.
Salon’s new casino resort in Cagayan presents Mr Leung’s boldest entrepreneurial challenge to date, but he’s taking it all in stride. Even before Salon breaks ground on the new property, it has already invested significantly in improving Cagayan’s basic infrastructure, including roads, schools, etc., and created valuable jobs for locals. Mr Leung has a vision of the Cabo Engano development zone, where his resort will sit, as a tropical getaway for tourists seeking an alternative to increasingly busy destinations such as Bali.
Even within Macau, Mr Leung is no stranger to diversifying his business and reaching into new markets. Recently, when China instituted visa restrictions on its citizens to temper the breakneck expansion of Macau’s gaming industry, and the Macau government instituted a 1.25% junket commission cap on local casinos, Mr Leung had to reassess his strategies and expanded his focus away from mainly Chinese patrons, to also increasingly target customers from Japan, Vietnam and Korea.
Mr Leung’s entrepreneurial prowess has earned him a nomination from the World Chinese Association for the World Outstanding Chinese Award 2010. His nomination puts him in good company—last year’s winner was Dr David Ho, who devised the method of successfully treating HIV with a “cocktail” of drugs, and in 2008 the award went to Professor Paul Ching-Wu Chu, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who was responsible for pioneering work in the field of superconductivity.
In September 2009, Mr Leung met with President Arroyo, President of the Philippines, in order to share his vision of Salon’s role in the country’s development. The President pledged her support for the project. In February this year, Mr Leung attended the iGaming Asia Congress at the Grand Hyatt in Macau, where Salon presented its business plan to international industry delegates.
Leung Chi Kuong’s motto sums up his attitude to life and business: “I won’t wait for opportunities to knock on my door. I knock on other people’s doors in search of opportunities”. In addition to Salon’s new resort in the Philippines, Mr Leung also has his sights on expansion into other foreign territories, and has signed agreements with various international gaming brands to help realise his near-term goal of establishing Salon as a giant in the gaming field.
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