Monday, January 11, 2016

Cover Girl


Andrea and her work has been the subject of a number of magazines including the following:

    


 <<  Double click cover to view full article










I never met Andrea Eng during the 1980s, when she was at the epicentre of commercial real-estate sales activity here. But I knew plenty about her. I was editor of Vancouver magazine at the time, and Andrea’s photo appeared regularly in the columns we ran about doings around town. When our reporters and photographers came back from  charitable, political and business events of any magnitude, there she would be, seemingly floating among the assembled heavy hitters.

And always smiling. Not the rivetted-on beam of the national beauty queen we knew she’d been, but the half-surprised smile of someone who might have had just found out that everyone else’s eyes were on her. She was arresting, no question about that, even in black and white flash photographs taken in crowded rooms. But when photographers had the advantages of time and studio lighting, they portrayed her as more than arresting. Hypnotizing may be the word for it.

It’s a cliché to say the camera loved her But it was true. So did the magazine art directors who decided what to do with the photographs they’d commissioned. Their decision, inevitably, was to run them as full pages or double-page spreads and, where possible, on the cover, too.

Andrea had eye appeal. And, again, not just the kind you see on a beauty pageant runway. I can’t recall anyone saying “glass ceiling” then.  But even if they had, the photos of Andrea radiated the impossibility of that term having anything to do with her. You simply knew from her style and expression that here was someone who could set a goal, achieve it and then set a tougher one.

One knock you sometimes heard then, and even occasionally today, was that Andrea promoted herself better than she did her employer, the Collier Macaulay Nicolls s realty. Well, whoopee-do! As if hundreds — thousands — of like-aged ambitious men didn’t do exactly the same as they scaled or sidestepped the challenges of a business world that depends upon the best succeeding.

By the time I met Andrea in 1991, she was surrounded by friends like Stanley and Eva Kwok, developer Ron Shon and Max’s Donuts president Danny Gaw as then-B.C. lieutenant-governor David Lam urged them to continue raising funds for the Dr. Sun Yat-sen classical Chinese garden.  Within months, I found her hobnobbing with then-HSBC president Bill Dalton,  then-Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, 60 Minutes TV reporter Mike Wallace, architect Bing Thom, B.C. finance minister and later premier Glen Clark,  then-premier Mike Harcourt, future mega-developer Ian Gillespie, future mega-chef Rob Feenie, Golden Properties owner Geoffrey Lau, Dexter Properties owner and UBC chancellor Bob Lee, architects Bruce Kuwabara and James Cheng, Gordon Capital founder Jimmy “The Piranha” Connacher,  musicbiz mogul Bruce Allen, and former Stikeman Elliott lawyer Frank Sixt, who rose to be right-hand man to Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing. Meanwhile, Eng moved to Hong Kong herself to scout and undertake deals for the latter's son, Richard Li.

I would see her sometimes during her visits to Vancouver. Sometimes she would entertain some of the above dignitaries and others in her Shaughnessy home. Always, she would be decorous, but with the friendliness no one can feign. It was impressive to see, and would doubtless have satisfied Emily Post or her teachers at Crofton House private school for girls. What was more impressive was that she was as hospitable and acted just the same in every way when the only visitor was me.

And adaptable? Once, when  a photograph was needed for the newspaper, and the best light conditions pertained beneath the window of her off-kitchen washroom, Eng unconcernedly plunked herself down on the closed toilet seat, smiled at the camera and created the same hypnotic spell she had a decade earlier.   -- Malcom Parry



















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,http://xn--tom-u68d63mpwchw8b0p7a9ofzxk8r9e.com/
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。」


The Outlier: LiveOutside the Box

From Miss Canada to global property queen 

“Many people believe a beauty pageant is all about ‘beauty’, but I think intelligence carries more  weight than beauty,” said Andrea Eng, Canada’s first Chinese representative at a global pageant, Miss Universe in 1978. 

Never an admirer of her own charm or glamor, Eng says the journey that took her there was a mere accident. 

She was in her early 20s then but never got carried away. 

Instead, she soon dedicated herself to a career in the real estate business, and became an adviser to several Asian tycoons, specializing in investments overseas. 

Born and raised in Vancouver, Eng is renowned in real estate circles for her pioneering role in bringing the East and the West together through her vision and connections. 

In the wake of Asia’s rise, many global enterprises nowadays hope to attract Asian investments. As early as 30 years ago, Eng was already identifying investments overseas for Asian investors. 

During the 1980s and early ’90s, she brokered investment projects worth C$3 billion a year in Vancouver for Hong Kong investors. 

The New York Times once described her as the “first woman to broker commercial real estate to Asians in North America”. 

“I believe every person is born with a gift,” Eng said.
“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.”


‘You need luck’


Still, Eng admitted, “you need luck in life”, and her pageant journey is a good illustration. A shy girl since childhood, she had never thought about taking part in a beauty contest. But her mother encouraged her to enter the Miss Vancouver Chinatown pageant in 1977. 

Eng initially faced opposition from her father, who believed that women should stick to their family duties as homemakers, although his own wife was a partner with him in the family’s real estate brokerage. 

Though his attitude softened later, Eng’s father didn’t bother to watch the final of the contest. “I was not a preferred winner,” Eng said with a smile.


“I wasn’t the most beautiful candidate.
“My dad didn’t even buy a ticket, probably because he thought I wouldn’t do too well.” 

In the press reports from that time, Eng won plaudits from the judges and audiences with her 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,” Eng said. Eng went on to become the first runner-up at the 1978 Miss Canada contest. 

She stepped in to represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico when Miss Canada Catherine Swing got married and was disqualified. 


Reflecting on her pageant experiences, Eng said she not only expanded her personal network but also was forced to overcome her shyness. 

However, her passion never strayed far from real estate. 

The family business but not the family firm 

“My family ran a real estate business. As early as five years of age, I went to open houses with my father,” Eng recalled. 

“Real estate is part of my blood.” 

After the beauty contests, Eng’s parents wanted her to go into the family business, but she insisted on challenging herself in the marketplace and joined Colliers International Property Consultants Inc. instead. 

The business of selling Vancouver real estate then was dominated by men, Eng recalled, and it was hard for a woman to break into it, let alone a Chinese. 

At Colliers, she was assigned to the office in the residential suburb of West Vancouver, instead of the busier and more lucrative downtown Vancouver office. 

Nevertheless, within her first three months, she managed to sell a shopping center and two warehouses and became one of the firm’s top brokers. 

One day, she decided to stop by Colliers’ downtown office on her way home and asked to meet the department head. 

Eng made a request to transfer downtown and wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

She said: “I am such a persistent person.” 

Eng became the first female broker ever to work in the downtown office. 

She recalled being given only a desk and a phone at the beginning and that no other broker wanted to work with her. 

Eng admitted having moments of self-doubt during her first few days, but still managed to sell some high-end property within a week. 

Her monthly turnover soon reached C$20 million. 

All told, Eng sold 57 apartment buildings in Vancouver’s West End, accounting for 70 percent of the sales in the area. 

As she established her own brand in the real estate sector, more and more brokers reached out to work with her. 

Why Asian tycoons trust her 

Eng noticed that most brokers weren’t interested in serving clients from Asia. 

Her background as a Chinese-Canadian gave her a big advantage with such clients. 

As one of the third generation of Chinese immigrants, Eng studied in Chinese schools during her childhood. 

Majoring in urban land economics at the University of British Columbia, she also took courses in Asian Studies. 

But while many people thought Eng’s Chinese appearance and ability to speak some Cantonese were what won her the trust of Asian tycoons, she said her way of thinking and working were the foundation of that trust. 

“I was born and raised in Canada. I got well along with westerners,” she said. “And yet, the way I think is closer to that of Asians. 

“While I evaluate the risk and returns of projects prudently, my strategy and style fit in perfectly with those of Chinese people.” 

Today, Eng still researches and analyzes market trends systematically. 

Taking advantage of the time difference between Vancouver, where she lives, and Hong Kong, she makes sure her clients receive useful information in a timely manner. 

Finding gold in the desert 

Eng has gone on to run her own business as an independent global investment broker advising Asian tycoons. 

The scope of projects she has worked on has gone beyond real estate and the Canadian market. 

She was even involved in the setting up of Tom.com, an internet portal that grew into Tom Group Ltd. (02383.HK), an online media business that is part of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. (00001.HK). 

As Eng put it: “I travel around the world and identify ideas that fit my clients. My work is like finding gold in the desert.” 

Despite all her success in the business world, money in itself has never been her source of happiness. 

Eng, a yoga practitioner and gardening enthusiast, said she enjoys the surprises life brings to her. “I don’t have a bucket list,” she said.
“I find interesting people fascinating.
“I want to surround myself with them.” 

— By Brian Yeung

This article appeared in Chinese in the Hong Kong Economic Journal’s Lifestyle Journal magazine on Nov. 13, 2015

https://andreaeng.blogspot.com/2015/11/hkej.html

https://www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/1181091/20151114-from-miss-canada-global-property-queen