Chairman Nicholas Sallnow-Smith, who has led the company to its remarkable success since joining Link's Board in 2007, reflects on Link's progress over the years and looks to the future from his unique vantage point.

According to Nick, Link's vision of becoming a world-class real estate investor and manager is keeping staff members looking at the horizon, rather than down at their feet.

"A horizon is always at a distance. One never gets there. Setting our sights on an 'aspirational' goal that benchmarks against international standards helps us look forward, reach higher and recognise that there is always more to be done and better ways to do our work." he said.

"Over the years, Link has made substantial progress towards its vision. There is now strong consensus among staff, Board members and investors that the business is heading in the right direction. The public is now more aware of the value of what we do than ten years ago."

This is far cry from the early years, when, facing massive political pressure, the company was always in fire-fighting mode.

"We have come to a point where political criticisms have largely subsided and we have built a strong professional team committed to doing the best they can. As long as we are doing our work professionally, we can be confident when faced with criticisms that are uninformed and politically motivated."

When asked about the achievement which has most pleased him at Link, he noted the revitalisation of the fresh markets, for which he pushed strongly at the Board level, has not only improved the individual facilities themselves, but has brought more customers to the shopping centres in a community-deepening way.

"This has impacted positively on people's daily lives. Since each fresh market has its local characteristics, these projects have demonstrated that far from becoming faceless, uniform facilities, our properties are maintaining their uniqueness in catering to customer needs. Judging from the public feedback, these markets appeal to the whole community."

Nick likes illustrating his ideas with metaphors. Likening Link's latest moves of entering the Mainland market and property development business to a cyclist who has to keep pedaling to avoid falling off, he said that we cannot afford to stand still when the world is changing.

"What is risky is to stay within one city, regardless of what is happening in China as a whole. We are simply investing outside the city within the same country, so the level of change to the business is very measured. These newly acquired Mainland assets are well-located and will deliver value over the long-term property cycles."

Commenting on Link's office development project in Kowloon East, Nick said, "We are not becoming a developer, building properties to sell, which is the mainstay of a developer business. We are creating our own strategically located office asset for long-term investment. As the city's emerging CBD, Kowloon East will become the Canary Wharf of Hong Kong. Our decision to undertake development enabled us to access this important site."

Link's new brand serves the twin purposes of communicating to our external stakeholders and motivating the internal team, he noted.

"The brand message needs to be congruent with what the company is doing. Backed by many examples of what we have done to enhance our facilities, retail mix and customer services, the rebranding enables people to understand our vision and business initiatives better. It is also a valuable reference point from each of us to test whether we are remaining true to our collective goal."

Nick's advice for staff members on self-improvement and work-life balance is to stay professional in one's work and to take charge of one's life by going on a career path where one finds fulfillment.

"As a part of life, work needs to be fulfilling and, in fact, it may need to be challenging to be fulfilling. If the body is not stressed, it grows weaker, so taking on a hard job, one that you never think you can do before trying, can be fulfilling and character building. As one goes through life, one needs to find that constructive challenge all the time. It is the best part of life!"