Guru Case Series: Mr. Simon Wong (LH Group)
“Life is priceless. One million is just the limits of my capabilities.”
Hong Kong’s Japanese Yakiniku (Japanese meat-BBQ) restaurant chain “Gyu-Kaku” rolls out vegetarian menu in response to the prevailing ESG trend? Under COVID-19, the F&B industry is under immense pressure to not only abide by a range of pandemic prevention regulations, but to also meet various requirements for emission and waste reduction. Being the CEO of Gyu-kaku and chairman of the Environmental Campaign Committee, how does Mr. Simon Wong strike a balance between maintaining business operation while protecting the environment?
The first episode of Guru Cases invites Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer at LH Group, Mr. Simon Wong, also nicknamed “King of Ideas” of the F&B industry and “Conscientious Boss” for an in-depth interview. The video portrait will lead you through understanding how Mr. Simon Wong led the group and its F&B brands towards systematic restructuring (Corporate Governance); launching the unprecedented “Vaccine Life Insurance”(Workplace Culture); began adopting non-plastic alternatives tableware a step ahead of legal requirements and switching to LED lighting systems and more (Resource Management), to ensure that the company can develop towards a sustainable direction. Mr. Simon Wong will also share his management and personal philosophies, and the success behind LH Group’s company-wide reform.
(Please see below for detailed question and content list)
| Timecode | Question |
|---|---|
| 00:00 – 03:54 | Introduction |
| 03:55 – 10:24 | Corporate Governance 1）How did you persuade the board of directors to support reforming the company? How did you carry out your responsibility as a son to continue to live the family’s philosophy? 2）What did you learn from the experience of complying with listing regulations? With ESG regulations tightening, will you set up a designated committee to manage related work? 3）How do you manage conflicting situations arisen from your multiple identities, e.g. as a F&B representative in government and an entrepreneur with an engineering background? |
| 10:25 – 16:50 | Customer-supplier Relationship / Workplace Culture 4）Why did Gyukaku roll out vegetarian menus? 5） How do you normally manage compliments and complaints received on social media? 6）You insisted on giving out bonuses even during the pandemic. Is it out of love or responsibility? 7）When you launched the unprecedented “Vaccine Life Insurance”, what were some of your considerations? |
| 16:51 – 20:40 | Resource Management 8）The government has announced banning single-use plastic tableware from 2025 onwards. How do you strike a balance between sustainability and operational feasibility? 9）Tackling sustainability challenges under the pandemic is very difficult for SMEs. How can they better prepare? |
| 20:41 – 24:00 | Personal Philosophy and Advice to SMEs 10）How did you enhance the company’s sustainability performance through strengthening value chain collaboration? 11）Do you view sustainability as a challenge or opportunity? Have your personal and management philosophy on sustainability influenced the entire industry, or affected the society? 12）Could you share your management philosophy and key advice with SME business owners? |
