CHAIRMAN AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SJM Holdings
MANAGING DIRECTOR
SJM Resorts
DIRECTOR
STDM
POWER SCORE: 992
POSITION LAST YEAR: 16
CLAIMS TO FAME
- Succeeded legendary father Stanley Ho as chairman of SJM Holdings in June 2018
FOR MOST OF HER LIFE Daisy Ho had been a co-star of the Ho family business, serving for years as CFO and trusty lieutenant for sister Pansy at Shun Tak Holdings.
But now, in her fifth year as SJM Holdings chairman, Ho has dispelled lingering questions about her capacity to lead by consolidating control over company operations, even if SJM remains a subsidiary of Pansy Ho-controlled STDM.
This is not to say that SJM hasn’t struggled with the rest of the market during the pandemic and Beijing’s corruption crackdown.
In addition, the crushing of VIP revenue and the emasculation of SJM’s satellite casino network – not lucrative for SJM in EBITDA terms but certainly in terms of political capital – have presented Daisy Ho with the most challenging environment of her career.
The anemic performance of SJM’s Cotai citadel Grand Lisboa Palace (and, indeed, reports of a botched opening) has been a genuine concern for observers, as has the need to secure a substantial lending facility, with government approval.
But having taken control of SJM co-chairman Angela Leong’s stake in concession-holding subsidiary SJM Resorts, Daisy Ho will finally be able to weaponize the de facto Pansy-Daisy duumvirate, streamline leadership and reform SJM’s culture for the better.
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