MANILA, Philippines–Profiles written about Melco Crown Entertainment’s co-chair and CEO Lawrence Ho  focus on his achievements—as well they should. After all, he was appointed the company’s executive director a little over 10 years ago, in December 2004, when he was not even 30.

Since then, Ho, whose father is casino bigwig Stanley Ho, has received accolades, including “Best CEO” by Institutional Investor and “Directors of the Year Award” by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors in 2005.

He was chosen as one of the “100 Most Influential People across Asia Pacific” by Asiamoney magazine in 2007 and awarded “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” at Hong Kong’s first Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards in 2009.

Last year, when he and Melco Crown cochair James Packer were readying to open the integrated resort City of Dreams Manila, Ho was selected by FinanceAsia as one of the “Best CEOs in Hong Kong” for the fifth time. In January, he ranked 31st in Forbes Magazine’s list of “Hong Kong’s 50 Richest” with a net worth of $2 billion.

“I didn’t start off in the gaming business. When I finished university in Toronto and went back to Hong Kong, I never worked for my father. I worked in investment banking. That was during the IT bubble. We bought an investment bank and ran that, and later sold it for a good profit. That’s when I joined the gaming business,” he told Inquirer Lifestyle in an exclusive interview.

His timing couldn’t have been better. Soon after Ho left investment banking, Macau opened up to gaming, presenting him with the opportunity to enter the industry.

“I wanted to get into businesses that interest me; ultimately some of my father’s good genes came through. If the timing wasn’t right or if I had come back three or four years too late, I’d probably still be in IT or investment banking. We’ve managed to be—knock on wood—quite successful in the gaming business.”

All this information is on public record. What few people know is that Ho really wanted to get into sports.

“If I had a choice, I’d be an athlete. Unfortunately, I’m not tall or big enough. I was a sprinter in school, but I would have loved to be a baseball player or an NFL player or a hockey player, but I’m a foot too short for any of those sports.”

Self-deprecation

The self-deprecation is charming. When he’s told that he still did “pretty well” considering his choices and despite not being able to follow his dream, Ho laughs and quickly agrees. “Yeah, of course, I’m not complaining.”

In the 10 years he’s been at the helm of Melco Crown, he says he is still learning every day.

“I think the beauty of our company is that we are very young and passionate. It’s OK to make mistakes, but you have to learn from them and not commit them a second time. I’ve also learned you should always be happy in your work. You should like what you do.

“Melco Crown brings a little joy to people’s lives every day. When I build a kids’ attraction like DreamPlay by DreamWorks, I think about my daughter and what she would like. When we build clubs like Pangaea and Chaos, I think about what my friends will like. They should find them interesting and different,” Ho said.

Still, he has wisely chosen to be cautiously optimistic.

“These are early days, but there is a renewed optimism in the Philippines. I think for many years there was a perception of the country when it came to security, but the government has done a lot to change that.

“You’re seeing bigger events held here. The Pope was just here, the Apec Summit is being held here. There’s a lot of excitement in the country, and we’re very lucky to be here and be a part of it.”

For two-and-a-half years, while City of Dreams Manila (and its three hotels namely Crown Towers, Nobu Hotel and Hyatt) were still being constructed, Ho would stay in other hotels.

“Some of them were constructed during the heyday of the Philippines and need refurbishing, but service is still tops. It’s part of the culture of the Filipinos; you’re very friendly, hospitable and welcoming.

“That’s why we increased our investment of $1 billion; we saw the potential. We built City of Dreams because we want to be here for a long time,” he said.

Ho admits it’s too early to tell whether or not the newly built integrated resort will be a financial success, but said he felt a sense of fulfillment when he saw how excited 5,000 of his colleagues were to start working.

“That energy felt good, but now we have to hit some financial targets or else I’m in trouble with our shareholders,” he said.