CHAIRMAN AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SJM Holdings
CHAIRMAN
SJM Resorts
DIRECTOR
STDM
POWER SCORE: 1,017
POSITION LAST YEAR: 25
CLAIMS TO FAME
- Succeeded legendary father Stanley Ho as chairman of SJM Holdings in June 2018
DAISY HO is in her fourth year as chairman of SJM Holdings, testament to the stability of the power-sharing arrangement between the camp of her sister and controlling shareholder Pansy Ho and the more conservative clutch of figureheads that include CEO Ambrose So and co-chair and director Angela Leong.
Daisy Ho’s tenure has been steady, reliable and unsurprising, fitting for a person whose role is still seen by some in the context of Pansy Ho’s control of their late father Stanley Ho’s larger STDM stable.
Despite the pandemic, 2021 offered Daisy Ho a chance to bring greater focus to SJM as a company of the future with the soft opening mid-year of Grand Lisboa Palace, SJM’s first and only integrated resort in Cotai.
In unideal conditions, the property will take some time to prove itself to be a worthy competitor to the rest of Cotai’s massive resorts, meaning that Ho will need to continue focusing on the performance of SJM’s larger properties on the Macau peninsula, particularly improving premium mass market share.
With equity analysts continuing to cast doubt on the adequacy of SJM corporate governance, Ho’s role will be increasingly tested as shareholders worry about mediocre market share, pandemic damage, the casino concession campaign and the withering of VIP channels.
She will need every bit of experience from her long years as Shun Tak Holdings CFO and deputy managing director, and the testing times will give rise to opportunities for Ho to express a greater level of individual verve as she navigates these challenges.
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