Chan Named a Top Business Leader

Originally published in the USC Chronicle. For original article, click here.

by Cristy Lytal

USC trustee Ronnie C. Chan MBA ’76 has a new honor to add to his long list of accolades and achievements.

The Hong Kong real estate developer has been recognized as one of 10 recipients of the 2010 Chinese Business Leaders Annual Award, organized by the 21st Century Business Herald newspaper, ifeng.com and the finance channel of China National Radio.

According to the 21st Century Business Herald, Chan received the honor because "he has built an evergreen commercial property kingdom with a focus on quality rather than quantity and has traveled around the world to cohere the affection of the Chinese people in the world toward their home country."

As chairman of Hang Lung Group Limited and its subsidiary Hang Lung Properties Limited, Chan made large-scale investments in Shanghai when the mainland property market was just taking off in the early 1990s. This investment has earned a rental return of 31 percent, and his company's footprint currently extends from Hong Kong and Shanghai to Shenyang, Jinan, Tianjin, Wuxi and Dalian. In the next few years, Hang Lung will have completed seven mainland projects.

At the Dec. 2 award presentation ceremony in Beijing, Chan said that his company would never have been so successful without the support of his talented employees.

To determine the recipients of the award, a panel of more than 100 judges spent three months winnowing down a pool of 108 accomplished candidates. The judges based their decisions on four criteria: vision, insight into the current global situation, industry foresight and Chinese values.

Chan developed some of these skills at the USC Marshall School of Business, where he earned his MBA. A member of the USC Board of Trustees since 1995, Chan established USC's Hong Kong Alumni Association. A leader in the effort to raise $4.5 million for the new Ronald Tutor Campus Center's International Plaza, Chan rallied USC alumni in Asia and personally donated $1 million to the construction of the outdoor gathering place.

He and his wife Barbara have two children who are Trojans: Their son Adriel graduated in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in international relations and son Adley is currently earning his Ph.D. in occupational therapy.

In 2009, USC recognized Chan's years of contributions to the university with the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award, USC's highest alumni honor.

"Ronnie has been a great friend and mentor to many of us at USC," said Michael L. Jackson, vice president for student affairs. "He has helped expand USC's contacts in Asia, helped secure funds from a foundation so dozens of students could do extended summer internships in companies and non-governmental agencies in Asian countries, and pushed for high standards of admission so we could recruit the very best students. His enthusiasm is contagious and an inspiration to us all. I am glad to call him my friend."