Anson also participates actively in various civic organizations such as Better Hong Kong Foundation, Rotary International, The Hong Kong Fringe Club, the Community Chest of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong, and University of Toronto (Hong Kong) Foundation, and the Fudan University Development Foundation in Shanghai.

Bonds Group of Companies (“Group”) is a group of related companies which operates a wide range of businesses, including real estate development and investment, property management, hotel operations and financial investments. The Group owns properties in prime locations in the United States, Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China and Singapore, with total assets under management in excess of HKD $20 billion.

The Group has a wide range of real estate investments, including luxury residential rental condominiums and houses, office buildings, retail spaces, and urban renewal construction sites. The Group also owns and operates a major serviced apartment building in Beijing’s CBD district, two luxury boutique hotels in Hong Kong SAR and one in Taichung City Centre (Taiwan). In addition, it is currently developing a large-scale resort hotel and conference center in Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan in a 50-year joint venture with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

Anson began his journey not knowing exactly when he would be called upon to lead the family enterprise. It was a generational thing. His late mother encouraged him to work outside the family. He was a Chartered Account, Investment Banker, Fund Manager or Hedge Fund Advisor and only later did he lead the family enterprise. But in terms of whether it was his dream, it was not really his dream, because he is a second generation entrepreneur. Anson Chan took over the reins of the enterprise and expanded it into several new directions, while still basing the core of his business in their traditional strengths, which is holding very high quality prime real estate. But Anson has expanded beyond that to hotels, developments, mergers & acquisitions of listed companies and financial investments.

“To be a leader you need to have the right personality. You can learn leadership skills, but you have to have some natural charisma”. Therefore, when Anson became Chairman and CEO of the Group, he saw people following him because they realised that he can lead the company in a positive direction and that there is big potential for growth, otherwise smart employees won’t stay because people are always looking for a job where they can have good advancement and career prospects.

“Ultimately, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Sometime in life, you have to go outside your comfort zone a little bit, not too much. If you are always too comfortable you will never improve and grow. You have to push the inside of the envelope a little bit. Sometimes you have to take reasonable risks, not reckless risks”. Anson thinks John F. Kennedy was the big inspiration for America in the 1960’s when he says to the American people “We will go to the moon before this decade is out”. Anson knows most people don’t have big vision anymore; and people don’t speak with confidence anymore. Therefore, his biggest inspiration is looking back to America of the 1960’s, what they call the “can do” attitude; anybody with a “can do” attitude can be his teacher, advisor or business partner. Finally, one has to be a little bit brave at times as the road ahead is always going to be rough and you will face many obstacles and challenges; but fortune will generally favour the brave who have persistence and can innovate.