Page 16 - A4 Journal 2018 R16

The Company

During my brief time of membership I have been to formal dinners at the Mansion House, Goldsmiths’ Hall and attended
networking events and lunches at many of London’s iconic and historic buildings and wonderful livery halls.
Having achieved full livery status of the Company I was delighted when I was invited to become a Steward which has given me
the opportunity to be in the front line of meeting and greeting members and guests at formal and informal events and to
develop friendships.

A cornerstone of the livery movement is the development of young people and investment in their careers. The Company, in
conjunction with major contractors in the industry, invests in the Ian Dixon Scholarships, amongst other initiatives; I was
amazed at the breadth and depth of the presentations made by the sponsored scholars this year and delighted to be a part of
the organization that has made it possible.
The social aspect of any organization is important and I am pleased to have made lasting friendships through getting to know
people socially at the Masters Weekends we have attended in Guernsey and Bath. I had to pinch myself to make sure I was
really there, as we enjoyed our black tie dinner overlooking the Roman Baths to the accompaniment of the harpist filling that
historic space with harmonies.
Looking forward I am keen to encourage more ladies and younger people to join the Company and to supporting its social and
charitable objectives.”

W K Kong

Weng lives in Malaysia, and is probably our most distant Freeman having been admitted to the Company in
July 2016 . His topic is “British Value, Asian Wisdom” and he highlights the ever changing perspective of our
industry from Asia. He writes:
“A decade ago, many Western construction companies would have perhaps viewed Japanese construction
companies as their only Asian competitors in the international projects biddings. Today, this scenario has
changed drastically. The Chinese construction companies seem to have appeared in many of the interna-
tional project bids have secured the job with low cost entry, fast tracked schedule and quality work delivery.
Under the “One Belt One Road” initiative, these construction companies move alongside the Chinese Government’s movement.
While advancing trade and investment with the economic partners in Southeast Asia and Central Asia, Chinese contractors’
presence in Asia has been observed to be too speedy, to the extent the local contractors are now starting to stand fearful. Ob-
viously, the fear factor is much generated due to the local’s complacency and incompetency in seeking an advancement in
both the construction technology and methodologies.

The British Construction Companies, on the other hand, are still active and enjoying their presence in the Hong Kong develop-
ment, with much credits owned to the strong British colonial ties to this Special Administrative Region since the 1997 hando-
ver to China. This tie is however expected to lose its strength as each year passes, as the Chinese Central Government is al-
ready gradually exerting its influence in the Region. Soon, it is foreseeable that the British construction companies will fade
from presence in Hong Kong, lest discussion on the rest of Asia. With the Brexit already prepared in the pipeline, the prospects
of the British Construction Companies in the European Union member countries become questionable.
“To know your Enemy, you must first become your own Enemy”, Sun Tzu.

It is time for the British construction industry to revisit its geopolitical presence, supported with its strong construction experi-
ence and technology in Asia, and the rest of the World. The effort to seek a presence in the international construction arena
demands much more efforts, in giving up the comforts in placing excessive focus on British-centric issues. While it becomes
more obvious that the Asian market is growing speedily, the British construction industry leaders now hold great responsibility
to step out from the UK and walk into Asia with the supports of local technical partners who still remember the beauty of the
UK construction excellence. We do not want to only remember the spirit to convey excellence in Construction as purely herit-
age efforts, but rather as our unique and sustainable British Value in the quality deliverance. Our next generation is affected by
what we do today. Just imagine if the job prospects of the graduates are threatened by the declining construction economy,
how many construction based courses in the Universities and Colleges would continue running? The chain effects may roll on
and the impact on the future construction sustainability in the UK would certainly have much to blame on what we have not
done today.
Just an end note to propose, the commonwealth link is perhaps the way forward where our British construction companies
can connect the world and continue to export their excellent product and services across the regions.”

Page 16 | The Journal of the Worshipful Company of Constructors | Autumn 2018