Allan Zeman was born in Regensburg, Germany; and was increased in Montreal, Canada, where his mother worked in a hospital. Allan Zeman's dad past away when he was eight year vintage, and he begun employed at the age of ten.
He dropped out of school, and by the age of nineteen, while employed for a lingerie business, he had acquired his first C$1 million.[citation needed] He made this first treasure by swapping apparel from Hong Kong. As he often journeyed to Hong Kong for work in the 1970s, he eventually moved to the town in 1975.[1]
In 1975, Zeman founded Colby International Group to source apparel in China and trade parts it to Canada. In late 2000, by now a much bigger and diversified business, Colby was swapped to Li & Fung Ltd., a foremost competitor.
In the early 1980s, Zeman felt that Hong Kong had no western bistro that matched his desires, so in 1983 he opened California Restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong, a slim road in Central. He acquired the entire impede in 1984 and therefore commenced his job as both an amusement operator and house developer.
Through Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Ltd, of which he is head individual, he motored the development of Lan Kwai Fong to be one of the most important bar and evening life localities in Hong Kong. He is now said to own 65 per hundred of the district's properties.[1]
Meanwhile, as head individual of Lan Kwai Fong magnetic pins Concepts Holdings Ltd., he controls some bistros in Lan Kwai Fong encompassing California, California Coffee, China Lan Kwai Fong, Indochine, Tokio Joe, Cafe des Artistes, Tutta Luna, Jazz Club, Thai Lemongrass, BACI, BACI Pizza and Luna Di Notte.
In 2004, Zeman was asked for by the then-Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Tung Chee-hwa, to become the head individual of Ocean Park. He coordinated to lift tourist figures despite of the unfastening of competitor Hong Kong Disneyland, making the book more appealing and, amazingly, the book developed record profits.
A 2007 Forbes article[2], mentions to Zeman as "Hong Kong's Mouse Killer" because of the achievement that Ocean Park is having while Hong Kong Disneyland struggles.
In 2001, he was nominated a Justice of the Peace in Hong Kong and in 2004, he was bestowed the Gold Bauhinia Star.
Film and TV
A documented video manufacturer, Zeman is head individual of Sweetpea Entertainment Inc. a video output business founded in Los Angeles, and is furthermore engaged with After Dark Films, a video company.
[edit] Fashion
As well as having assembled and swapped off the flourishing Colby assembly, Zeman is furthermore a controller of Algo Group, another newest tendency business. In February 2007, he was entitled Stylemaker of the Year by Style Magazine (published by the South China Morning Post).
[edit] Other
Zeman is head individual of Mesco Shipyard Ltd (shipbuilding) and DKA Ltd (public relations), and a controller of Wynn Resorts.[3] He is a non-executive controller of Pacific Century Premium Developments Ltd.[4][5]
Zeman is dynamically pro-Government, and while that means he is often examined as pro-Beijing, he himself states that he is "pro-Hong Kong". He is careful about universal suffrage, proposing cheap christmas ornaments that "It's not likely for it to happen overnight." He is furthermore let down by the high grades of support for the well liked bivouac, believing that "the government is very misunderstood."[6]
He maintained Regina Ip, the contentious preceding Secretary for Security in the 2007 Legco by-election in the Hong Kong Island constituency. However, she was beaten by Anson Chan [7]
Zeman is famous in government rounds, seated on diverse coordinating assemblies, planks and advisory bodies.
He is a long-standing constituent of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.
He is a constituent of the Economic and Employment Council in Hong Kong. He is a board constituent of the Tourism Strategy Group for the Hong Kong Tourism Commission, the Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Urban Renewal Authority.
He is furthermore a constituent of the International Events Fund Steering Committee for the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and of the Cultural and Heritage Commission.
Also he has been nominated as a constituent of the Services Promotion Strategy Group, chaired by the Financial Secretary. Zeman is furthermore on the Board of Hong Kong Arts Festival and Hong Kong Community Chest.[5]
In September 2008, Zeman renounced his Canadian citizenship and became a naturalised Hong Kong citizen (or more accurately, a PRC citizen with the right of abode in Hong Kong), as he said he has dwelled and worked in Hong Kong for 38 years and has habitually advised it to be his home.
The Hong Kong citizenship endows him to contain a Home Return Permit for going into the People's Republic of China, a Hong Kong identification for other worldwide journey, and a Hong Kong enduring inhabitant persona business card for re-entering Hong Kong. He is now furthermore apt for taking up political agency in Hong Kong.
