Adrian Cheng is Finding Shared Values
Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and social innovator, Adrian Cheng is rewriting the script on how to do business in the 21st century.
Photography by Alan Gelati
Styled by Vanessa Bellugeon
In a world of corporate disconnect, the life of a C-suite executive can feel far away from the average customer. But Hong Kong SAR-based entrepreneur Adrian Cheng is changing that. His innovative business model of “shared values” focuses on investing in communities to foster a prosperous environment for both his company and his customers. Focusing on a variety of areas, such as youth mental health as well as the accessibility of art and cultural programs, Cheng is fostering a new way of earning that improves everyone’s bottom line. Cheng is the Chief Executive Officer and third-generation scion of New World Development Company Limited (HXEx 00017), owner of Rosewood Hong Kong, and founder of K11 Group. He is a cultural entrepreneur who operates on the cutting edge of art and commerce and heir to one of Asia’s most influential business families, boasting a legacy that spans over 75 years in Hong Kong SAR. With his leadership, New World Development successfully launched Victoria Dockside, a $2.6 billion, 3 million-square-foot cultural district on the promenade of Hong Kong SAR’s iconic Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. A patron of the arts, Cheng has been featured in ArtReview’s Power 100 every year between 2014 and 2022, ranked number one in Asia and 12 globally. In 2023, he was appointed Chairman of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee by the Hong Kong SAR Government. In 2017, Cheng became the youngest person in Hong Kong SAR to receive the Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government, which was followed by his appointment as Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite in 2022. In this conversation with L’OFFICIEL’s Global Chairman, Dr. Calvin Choi, Cheng opened up about how his philanthropic and entrepreneurial philosophy can impact the Hong Kong SAR community and beyond.
DR. CALVIN CHOI: What are your inspirations, ideas, and plans for the years to come?
ADRIAN CHENG: I think one very big theme paradigm shift will be social innovation and social impact. I think after Covid, [there was] a realization that we are extremely grateful and we are very fragile as well as human beings. So I started a children’s mental health charity, a philanthropy that I strongly believed in, especially during Covid, when there were a lot of cases that stressed children. So with WEMP—Wellbeing, EQ, Mental Health, Parenting—we’re starting from Hong Kong SAR and hopefully to Asia and then also to the world. My vision and aspiration is that this philanthropy will be global. What we’re trying to do is work with children from ages 3 to 16 to alleviate stress. We also work with schools and make sure that children’s mental health is well received, especially in schools and among parents. We have created programs that focus on public awareness. We’ve helped around 10,000 children, 20,000 parents, and around 83 emergency cases—children with traumatic experiences or those who have been abused—to make sure that they’re in good health.
CC: You are known as an innovative person and businessman, an influential philanthropist, and a prominent art collector. Which identity do you resonate with the most?
AC: I think of myself more as a curator of life, curator of creativity, and curator of innovation. We curate everything that belongs to the people, things that are creative, things I can imagine. I’m also a conductor—leading a lot of people in order to think creatively, both in the business world and in their normal life. Because I don’t consider myself a creator. I think I put a lot of things together to create a product, but I don’t invent one. I really bring all different elements in life, in humanity, and in people, into one, and create something that has a special magic to it.
CC: Your family has a long history of business success in Hong Kong SAR and globally. How have you combined your background in business with your passion for art, culture, and fashion?
AC: There’s a sense of common values. In business, we cater to and service our customers. Customers are the most important thing. These days, our demographic of customers is really looking for something unique and special that serves both them and the community. Building this community through art, design, creativity, and imagination fits into their values. When you combine those, or you find the commonality together, it’s such a powerful thing.
CC: Do you feel like art, fashion, and design are all linked?
AC: It’s all created by people. Art, fashion, and other mediums of creativity all have history and different fundamental values, but they’re able to cross-pollinate. The methods of storytelling are a bit different between disciplines, and the business is different as well, but it’s all part of creativity and what you feel, what you embody, and what you believe in. It’s a message that you want to tell the world. As a result, everything can be cross-exchanged, and that’s why you see a lot of exhibitions that mix art, fashion, and other design fields.
CC: How do you see the relationship between fashion and art in the evolution of the future of Hong Kong SAR, and what role do you see yourself playing in shaping that relationship for Hong Kong SAR and beyond?
AC: Fashion and art are intertwined. We believe in art, fashion, and creativity for the masses, so how do we actually decentralize and democratize all these creative spaces so that everyone is able to access them, not just in museums or very expensive art galleries? So that you can savor, you can taste everything every day as you walk along the road grabbing a coffee, appreciating God’s work and everything that’s around you. Everything should be for the masses because the origin of life is creativity. It should be for everyone. So what I hope is that we can make more of these spaces accessible.
"When you’re involved in business, you have a responsibility to also do good, share for good, and create shared value for society."
CC: You are known for your commitment to promoting art and cultural heritage in contemporary ways. What inspired you to become such a strong advocate, and how have you contributed to the development of art in Hong Kong SAR and beyond?
AC: When you look at everything from business to being a human being, you need to preserve a sense of values—who you are, what you believe in. That’s the core of life. Heritage is something that is also an embodiment of the value system of a city. So when you have a sense of preserving that, you’re really preserving the root. That’s why heritage is very important, especially in Asia, where we need to promote and propagate those value systems.
CC: You have said that you believe in using business as a force for good and that you are committed to promoting sustainable and socially responsible business practices. How do you balance your business interest with your desire to create a positive social impact? And what are some of the challenges you have faced in doing so?
AC: I think when you’re involved in business, you have a responsibility to also do good, share for good, and create shared value for society. It’s not simply just donating money to a charity. The most important is using your resources, sharing them with society, and also creating some value, maybe entrepreneurship and other social entrepreneurship, for the people. They call it “corporate social responsibility.” This is not a responsibility; it’s more about sharing your value, your vision, and your resources and doing something for society because your business is part of that society as well. Because you can incubate, you can help other social entrepreneurs, and they can also do good. And as you multiply that, it becomes a compound effect. Many times, people also create social impact funds or social entrepreneurship funds and make money at the same time. So with that money, you can make a profit and reinvest. This is how this multiplying effect comes to fruition.
CC: What are the challenges of this kind of approach?
AC: Sometimes it’s very hard because a lot of people are just looking at the profit line; some people think that creating shared value and sharing resources is just a gimmick. That’s not true. Sometimes your resources can be shared in a way that does not sacrifice your profit but, in fact, creates a much bigger value system in the community that can also win more hearts of the people and help other people as well. I think the challenge is finding the right people who will understand your new model.
CC: What are your plans for the future?
AC: My team and I have spent 10 years redeveloping a new art and cultural district called Victoria Dockside, in Hong Kong SAR. It’s like a Silicon Valley of culture and creativity, where we have created an incubation hub for over 100 creative powers to be part of the project. In the future, I hope this model will be replicated in places all around the world, especially in Asia. I think after Covid, a very simple, childlike, and pure spirit is essential because life is already very complicated. Society is very complicated. After Covid, what we need is just a simple heart.
ART DIRECTION Giampietro Baudo
GROOMING Mathilde Hamon
PHOTO ASSISTANT Octave Pineau
DIGITAL TECH Éric Sakai
STYLIST ASSISTANT Eva Chatton
