James E. Thompson

'I was a representative for a US logistics company in Japan in 1964 when they decided to close the company. So at 24 years old I started my own logistics company with my entire savings of $500 and cashed in my return ticket to the US. I really did not know what I was doing then.’

In 1970 he moved his firm to Hong Kong and renamed it Crown Pacific. It proved to be a brilliant relocation. Hong Kong was just beginning its transformation into a modern Asian business capital, and Jim Thompson was in at the ground floor.

'Hong Kong was great for us,’ he told AME Info in an interview in his office overlooking the famous harbour. 'It was a very open market at that time. Hong Kong has a certain ease of operation for business with a simple tax regime and no red tape. We still make a lot of money here, and Hong Kong serves as a base for China and South East Asia.’

Crown Worldwide is now present in 43 countries and has more than 100 offices. In the Middle East the group has offices in the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. But plans are a foot for major expansion.

'We are looking to get back into Kuwait for the first time since the First Gulf War,’ says Jim Thompson. 'The other markets we want to open offices in very soon are Lebanon and Egypt. The Middle East is a very good market for us and many countries have to potential to come good.’

'Isn’t Dubai the Hong Kong of the Middle East? That is what they say. We certainly have a very good business in Dubai and can see a lot of growth in this market.’

One of Hong Kong’s most successful expatriates, Jim Thompson was impressed by Dubai’s acquisition of the CSX interest in the Hong Kong ports recently. Dubai is rumored to have outbid Singapore to secure this prize asset.

'Such assets do not come up for sale often,’ he says. 'Hong Kong has the most efficient port in the world, and is the only deep water port that can serve the booming Pearl River Delta region of China. So it has a secure position providing it can keep its costs down.’

Not surprisingly after so long and so much success in Hong Kong, Jim Thompson has his finger in many pies. He is also involved with the redevelopment of the Ocean Park entertainment complex which faces stiff competition from the upcoming Disneyland theme park that opens on September 12th.

He was also interested to hear about the multi-billion dollar Dubailand theme park in Dubai, and noted that awareness of Dubai real estate was getting much stronger in Dubai.

'Dubai and the emirates are seen as an island of security in the Middle East, and Dubai has succeeded in creating a sort of celebrity environment. I meet more people in Hong Kong who are talking about Dubai than I can ever remember.’