The Outlier: Live
Outside the Box
加華裔名媛的平凡與超凡
專訪前環球小姐加拿大代表伍慧芬
文：楊立明（Brian Yeung）
圖：Andrea Eng、Paul Joseph、Robert Kwong、Ben Oliver
「不少人認為選美講求美貌，而我相信智慧比美貌更重要。」首位代表加拿大出戰全球選美比賽的華裔小姐伍慧芬（Andrea Eng）接受訪問時說。她坦言從不認為自己天姿國色，並形容自己的選美歷程純屬意外。當時二十出頭的她，沒有因成名而忘形，反而專注投身房地產事業，後來更成為多名亞洲巨富背後的幕僚，專責海外投資。
智慧比美貌更重要
作為土長土長的加籍華人，Andrea在房地產市場以其「貫通中西」的眼光和人脈見稱。在八、九十年代，她曾為香港的投資者在溫哥華每年處理總值共30億加幣的投資項目。面對亞洲崛起，現在全球的企業也希望吸引亞洲的資金，而Andrea卻早在三十年前與亞洲投資者結緣，為他們物色投資項目。
「我相信每人也有一個天賦。你只需要以最短的時間發掘你的天賦。從商是我的天賦──我與生俱來有種獨特的洞察力，讓我在同一個處境看到別人看不見的商機。」她說。
儘管天賦異稟，Andrea坦言「人生需要運氣」，而她的選美歷程便是一個寫照。自小生性害羞的她，從沒有想過參加選美。在母親的鼓勵下，她參加1977年的溫市華埠小姐競選。起初她的父親反對，認為女性的本份是相夫教子。即使他後來態度軟化，總決賽當晚也沒有觀賽。
參選環姐開拓人脈
她笑說：「我不是比賽中的『大熱』，也不是最漂亮的佳麗。我父親連門票也沒有買或可能是因為他也不看好我的表現。」
翻查當時的相關的報導，Andrea以一曲中式現代舞和伶俐的對答贏得評審和觀眾的青睞。「其實，選美的致勝之道不只是講求美貌，還需要智慧和學識。」她補充。
其後她出戰1978年的加拿大小姐競選，獲得亞軍。後來因冠軍佳麗Catherine Swing結婚，Andrea遞補代表加拿大前往墨西哥參加環球小姐競選，成為首個代表加拿大的華裔佳麗。
回顧這段選美經歷，她形容自己不但因此開拓人脈，而且也改變了自己害羞的個性。不過，她的熱誠始終不離房地產。
闖蕩江湖投身地產
她說：「我父母也是從事房地產生意。自5歲開始，我便隨父親實地考察房屋展售。房地產彷彿已是我身體的一個部分。」
參選過後，父母寄望她繼承家族生意，而她卻堅持獨自「闖蕩江湖」，並進軍房地產商業投資這個領域。
Andrea形容，當時溫市房地產這個界別非常「男性主導」，以女性身份闖出頭並不容易。
當時她加入國際房地產代理公司高力國際（Colliers International），起初被委派西端區辦公室，而非客戶較高端的市中心辦公室。儘管如此，她在首三個月便賣出一個商場和兩個工業貨倉，成為公司頂級經紀人之一。
思前想後，一天她在駕車回家的路上決意來到公司的市中心辦公室，並要求與部門主管見面，爭取調配到這裡工作。
她說：「我就是這樣堅持的一個人。」
贏得亞洲巨富信任
主管答應後，她成為市中心辦公室首名女經紀人。她憶述，剛剛開始的時候，她只有一台桌子和一部電話，沒有經紀人願意與她合作。她坦言首數天內心也曾經歷自我質疑，但在一週之內她仍賣出溫市的高端物業，而每月成交額總值加幣2,000萬（按當時幣值計算）。其後她在一年內售出57幢在西端區的公寓大樓，佔當時該區商業銷售的7成。
自她在房地產界別建立自己的品牌，越來越多經紀人提出與她合作。她留意到絕大部分的經紀人也沒有興趣接待來自亞洲的客戶，而她的華裔背景成為很大的優勢。
當不少人以為她的華裔外表和有限的中文語言能力令她贏得亞洲巨富的信任，她認為她的思維和工作方式才是箇中精髓。
作為第三代華僑，Andrea兒時在華人學校念書，而大學除主修城市土地經濟學以外，更選修亞洲研究。
她說：「我在加拿大土生土長，與白人相處融洽。不過，我的思路更接近亞洲思維。我審慎地分析項目的風險與回報，而我的策略和手法正正合符中國人的做事作風。」
周遊列國淘金沙漠
即使至今她仍每天晚上搜集不同的資料，並有系統地分析市場趨勢。她更利用溫哥華與香港的時差，確保客戶及早收到對他們有用的資訊。
其後她自立門戶，以獨立經紀人的方式為亞洲巨富在海外投資上出謀獻策，而她協助的範疇更走出加拿大市場和房地產項目。
她這樣形容自己的工作：「我周遊列國，為我的客戶尋找合適的投資項目。我的工作儼如在沙漠淘金。」
雖然她在商業世界有所成就，更曾被紐約時報形容為「首位將亞洲投資者帶到北美洲的女性」，但是她的快樂泉源並非財富。
問到她追求怎樣的生活，她說她享受人生為她帶來的驚喜。
她這樣說：「我沒有願望清單。但我為有意思的人而著迷。我希望我的生活被有意思的人包圍。」
Ordinary
and extraordinary of the Canadian Chinese Socialite
Interview with former Miss
Universe Canada representative Andrea Eng
By Brian Yeung
Photographs by: Andrea Eng, Paul Joseph, Robert Kwong, Ben
Oliver
“Many people believe
beauty pageant is all about ‘beauty’ but I think intelligence carries more
weight than beauty,” says Andrea Eng, Canada’s first ever representative at a
global pageant contest during the interview. Never an admirer of her own charm
or glamour, Eng referred to her pageant
journey as a mere accident. Eng was in her early twenties then but never got
carried away. Instead she dedicated herself to a career in the real estate
business, and became the advisor to a number of Asian tycoons, specializing in
overseas investment.
Wisdom is more
important than beauty
Born and raised in Canada,
Eng is renowned in the real estate market for bringing the East and the West
together, thanks to her vision and connections. During the 80s and 90s, Eng
brokered investment projects worth $3 billion Canadian dollars annually in
Vancouver for Hong Kong investors. In the wake of Asia’s rise, global enterprizes
nowadays
also hope to attract Asian investments. As early as 30 years ago, Eng had
already been identifying investment projects for Asian investors.
“I believe every person is born with a gift. You
just have to find your gift as quickly as possible. Business is my gift – I’m
able to see opportunities differently from anyone else,” Eng said.
Although gifted, Eng admits "you need luck in life,"
and her pageant journey is a good illustration. Being a shy person since
childhood, she had never thought about participating in a beauty contest, only
to be encouraged by her mother to enter Miss Vancouver Chinatown beauty pageant
in 1977.
Eng faced opposition from
her father initially, who believed that women should stick to their family
duties as housewives. Though his attitude softened later, Eng’s father never
watched the final of the contest.
Business network developed from pageant contest
“I was not a preferred
winner. I wasn’t the most beautiful candidate.” Eng said with a smile. “My dad
didn’t even buy a ticket and come probably because he thought I wouldn’t do too
well.”
Looking up the related reports
at that time, Eng won the plaudits of the judges and audiences with a Chinese modern
dance performance, as well as her wit and eloquence. “To win a beauty pageant
not only requires beauty, but also intelligence and knowledge.” she added.
Eng went on and became the
first runner-up at the 1978
Miss Canada contest, and then stepped in as the replacement to represent the
country in the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico, because of Miss Canada
Catherine Swing’s subsequent marriage. Eng became the first ever Canadian
Chinese pageant to represent the country.
Reflecting on her pageant experiences, Eng
said that she not only expanded her personal network, but also changed her shy
personality since. However, her passion was never away from real estate.
All in for real
estate business
"My family ran real
estate business. As early as 5 years of age, I went to open houses with my
father. Real estate is like part of my blood.” Eng said.
Following the beauty
contests, Eng’s parents wanted her to go into the family business, but she
insisted on challenging herself in the market, and entered the field of real
estate business investment.
Eng recalled the Vancouver
real estate sector then as very “male dominant,” and it was hard for a female
to breakthrough.
At that time she decided
to take a job with Colliers International, where she was assigned to the office
in West Vancouver at first, instead of the downtown Vancouver office dealing
with more high net worth clients. Nevertheless, within the first three months she
managed to sell a shopping centre as well as two warehouses, and became one of
the top brokers of the company.
Thinking
it through, one day she decided to stop by Colliers’ downtown office on her way home,
asked to meet with the department head and made a request to transfer to downtown.
She said: "I am such
a persistent person."
Winning the
trust of Asian tycoons
Getting
the nod from the department head, Eng became the first female broker ever in
the downtown office. She recalled only being given a table and a phone at the
beginning, and that no broker wanted to work with her. She admitted having
moments of self-doubts during the first few days, but then still managed high-end
property sales in the city within a week, reaching a monthly turnover of 20
million Canadian dollars (based on the currency rate then). Eng subsequently
sold 57 apartment buildings in West End of Vancouver, which made 70% of the
sales of the area.
Since she established her
own brand in the real estate sector, more and more brokers reached out to work
with her. Eng noticed that most brokers weren’t interested in serving clients
from Asia, and her Chinese background gave her a big advantage.
While many others thought
Eng’s Chinese appearance and limited Chinese proficiency won her the trust of
Asian tycoons, she believes her way of thinking and working were the essence.
As the third
generation of Chinese immigrant, Eng studied in Chinese schools during her
childhood. Majoring in Urban Land Economics during university, she also took
courses in Asian Studies.
“I was born and raised in
Canada. I got well along with the Westerners. And yet, the way I think is
closer to the Asian. I evaluate prudently about the risk and returns of
projects, whereas my strategy and style fit in perfectly with Chinese people.”
Finding gold from desert
Even now, Eng still
researches for information and analyses the market trend systematically. Taking
advantage of the time difference between Vancouver and Hong Kong, she also
makes sure her clients receive useful information in a timely manner.
Eng went on to run
her own business as an independent broker and provide advices to Asian tycoons
on oversees investment. The scope of projects she worked on even went beyond
Canadian market and real estate projects, including preparations for the Internet
project – Tom.com.
As she put it: “I travel
around the world and identify ideas that fit my clients. My work is like
finding gold from desert.”
She was once described by
The New York Times as the “first woman to broker commercial real estate to
Asians in North America,” and despite all her success in the business world,
fortune has never been her source of happiness.
When asked about the kind
of life she pursues, Eng said she enjoys the surprises life brings to her.
“I don't have a bucket
list. I find interesting people fascinating. I want to surround myself with
that,” she said.
Olds photos with love
“I was
always my fathers’ ‘little girl’ in his mind, and we were really close to each
other. I inherited my father’s social skills and my mother’s high order
thinking. Since childhood I would follow my father to the open house and
witness his sale of new house in Vancouver for $12,500 (Canadian dollars, based on the currency rate then). My father
was also a teacher. He had taught me to pronounce ‘heart and effort’ in
Cantonese. I learnt from him to be diligent, earnest, thoughtful and
detail-oriented. As one of the Chinese community leaders, my father was the
chairperson of The Chinese Times, the Chinese newspaper with the longest
history in North America.” -- Andrea Eng
