Sphere No.43 (Oct 2017)

A LEGACY OF CIVILISATION >> SPHERE #43 2017 12 Mr Tsoi is intrigued by the region and its challenges, many arising from a dynamic and diverse economy: “Operating in this region is something you don’t learn in business school. I have never seen any country growing from zero to a hundred so fast. Everything is completed at such high speed and such large scale.” But local speed and practices don’t mean that Hutchison Ports abandons its core values or hard-earned business practices and procedures. Mr Tsoi explains, “Hutchison Ports focuses on planning and is constantly finding ways to connect as the middleman between local partners and governments to send one message: Master planning is more important than short-term targets.” Where opportunities to trade exist, people of all nations must learn to work together. Hutchison Ports’ port in Saudi Arabia has staff from at least 10 different countries. While this ensures a cosmopolitan workforce, it also demands thoughtful staff management. “The complexity and sensitivity of managing people from different cultures and ethnic groups are a critical factor when it comes to good governance,” explains Mr Tsoi. “To enhance a healthy working environment and to meet the challenges in the region, Hutchison Ports strives to build up an international management team.” Previous and current examples include a Native American in Tanzania, a native Brit in Saudi Arabia and Pakistanis in Oman. supporting development to complement and add value to the president’s social and economic strategies whenever needed. “East Africa is an important gateway to Africa, which we strongly believe is the last frontier with untapped resources. Ultimately, the port development will facilitate economic growth and urbanisation.” PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE The story of the Middle East has thus been a story of trade, and with trade naturally comes human movement and knowledge circulation. It was therefore no coincidence that two of the most symbolic books in the Middle Ages – one a travelogue on Marco Polo’s journey and the other a historical compendium that for the first time included cultures and major events from China to Europe – were both written at the turn of the 14th century when the safety of East–West travel was ensured by the Mongolian khanates. In antiquity, cities like Baghdad and Istanbul stood as the centre of classical studies, which at that time included maths, the sciences and engineering. In the Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) library in Baghdad, whose foundation can be traced back to eighth-century, scholars – not just Muslims but also Jews and Christians – were brought together to share knowledge as well as to translate and preserve classical learning. “Operating in this region is something you don’t learn in business school. I have never seen any country growing from zero to a hundred so fast. Everything is completed at such high speed and such large scale.” Andy Tsoi Managing Director Middle East and Africa Division Hutchison Ports “Our fundamental values in people management will always be honesty, and strong partnerships with customers and employees. But there are other complexities that make doing business in the Middle East and Africa region very challenging and interesting at the same time,” he adds. EXPLORING THE LAST FRONTIER The port in Tanzania, in particular, demonstrates Hutchison Ports’ commitment to the long-term success of both the company and the local community. The port in Dar es Salaam is crucial to the nation’s trade – over 75 per cent of national trade flows through Hutchison Ports Tanzania. As Hutchison Ports’ only footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania joined the portfolio as part of an acquisition in 2001 to also serve neighbouring landlocked countries such as Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe. “We initially spent a lot of time upgrading equipment. Now we focus more on training local talent and bringing in new technologies to make trade in this part of the world more efficient and cost- effective,” says Mr Tsoi, noting that a lot of positive changes have been wrought by the new administration under President John Magufuli since November 2015. “As a private foreign investor in Tanzania, we are 100 per cent committed to Galleons, triremes, dhows and now mighty container ships: The Maritime Silk Road has its heart in the Middle East – and Hutchison Ports.