One needs a compelling reason to pull a top-notch accountant out of the lucrative business. Many quit to pursue childhood dreams, travel the world, or spend quality time with loved ones. But not Anthony Wu Ting-yuk. The words that prompted the chairman of Ernst & Young Hong Kong, China and the Far East, to retire early might sound less enticing, but definitely more noble. It was public service.

 “I was bamboozled into being the chairman of the Hospital Authority,” jokes Wu. “I was told that it’s a fairly easy job. All I need to do is attend a few meetings a month. But the moment I assumed the post in 2004, it has been taking more than 100 per cent of my time. I figured that I need to quit the accounting firm to do this job well.”

And he did. His rich experience and leadership qualities were recognised by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen who extended Wu’s tenure from six to eight years. None of his predecessors, usually doctors, had gained such a vote of confidence. A  consultation had suggested that a non-official member should not serve for more than six years in any one capacity. So what was the secret to heading a health services  institution of 60,000 staff with success, without much of a medical background aside from having a grandfather who was a doctor?

“At the top of any industry, it’s all about management. Human capital is the most valuable asset of a successful organisation. It’s about how to scour the crème de la crème, motivate them and keep them,” Wu tells The PEAK as he sips a glass of hot coke with lemon and ginger at the China Club. “I’m a strong believer in people first.”

America’s guru of casual fashion, Tommy Hilfiger, 59, clocked up the 25th anniversary of his label last year. Over a quarter century his style has become synonymous with living the classic, sporty style. 

Hilfiger started designing under his own name in New York in the mid 1980s. “I introduced my first signature collection accompanied by a huge billboard advertising campaign right in Times Square,” he remembers. “I was subsequently named one of the four great American fashion designers for men.’’ The billboard idea of self-publicity helped to catapult him into the fashion spotlight. 

Today, he is best known for his classic, American-cool garments. “I want my brand to be preppy and effortlessly sophisticated,” he explains. As part of the ongoing anniversary celebrations, Hilfiger has joined forces with publisher  Assouline to produce a limited edition, linen-bound scrapbook covering 25 years of his work. Copies are available at Tommy Hilfiger stores for about 500 euro (HK$5,100) each.

Practicality and a vision rarely go hand-in-hand. But Sacha Walckhoff, an 18-year veteran of the French fashion label, Christian Lacroix, has embraced both.

“I think I like to focus on the vanity and seduction part of fashion. In a way, while people who are wearing Christian Lacroix are seducing their target, we are seducing them to wear us,” says Walckhoff. “It’s a fascinating dynamic, and one I want to explore.” 

Walckhoff stepped into Lacroix’s shoes after the label underwent serious financial difficulties, and is guiding it in a direction that combines the brand’s heritage and designs with business savvy.

“Right now, we are focused on licensing. We have a collaboration with a partner to license the Christian Lacroix name on sunglasses. Our stationery sets, which are priced quite economically, are doing very well. We also have some exciting projects up in China that are secret for now! But we will reveal them soon.”

Steve Leung, the internationally-lauded architect-turned-star-interior designer, is thinking of his children. He is the father two: a son, Nicholas who turns 19 this year and is headed to college in the United States, and a 24-year-old daughter, Stefanie, a lawyer.

Leung has built up an excellent reputation for interiors, designing hotels, restaurants, show flats and everything in between in a career spanning over two decades. His CV lists clients such as The Peninsula Group and Crowne Plaza Hong Kong. His flagship firm, Steve Leung Designers, employs 300, which is rare in the interior design business.  An leading chop-shop of experienced architects and interior design experts, the firm is responsible for most of the cash flow that fuels Leung’s other emergent enterprises. Surprisingly though, Leung seems to have tired of interiors.