Firstly, your thoughts on the recent HSBC Champions, which saw Martin Kaymer record a remarkable victory thanks to a brilliant 63 in the final round . Was the 2011 edition of the event the best ever?
It was certainly another great competition. It’s fantastic that we’ve had six winners from six countries since we launched this tournament – all well-deserved victories. Each year is different – we see some of the world’s best golfers at their finest; you never know what to expect.
As a devotee of the sport, I find most exciting the fact that the HSBC Champions is showcasing a new breed of young, talented players who will doubtless play their part in the future of golf.
Martin Kaymer’s victory is a great example – he started the year winning the HSBC tournament in Abu Dhabi and capped the year winning ‘Asia’s Major’ in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai. He’s only 26 years old and has a very exciting career ahead of him. It was great watching him and I’m sure we’ll all be following his career closely.
Of all the sporting and cultural events that HSBC has supported in recent times, where does the HSBC Champions rank in terms of importance?
Without doubt, the HSBC Champions is one of our most important sponsorships in Asia. As Asia’s first World Golf Championship (WGC) tournament, it’s attracted the world’s most-renowned players and has become a much-anticipated event in the sports calendar. It has also helped give support to the HSBC brand, not just in terms of awareness, but in providing a focus for customer relationships and employee engagement.
We’ve also been able to create supporting events such as the HSBC Charity Golf Day in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia – allowing us to raise funds for primary education in partnership with UNICEF. We were fortunate to have one of the world's top female golfers, Michelle Wie, join us in Hong Kong this year for the charity golf day to help promote education for disadvantaged children in Asia.
What first attracted HSBC to essentially create from scratch and sponsor a world-class tournament in mainland China?
Golf is a fast-growing sport not only in China but across Asia. And as we move closer to 2016, when golf makes its debut as an Olympic sport, we expect greater interest and enthusiasm for the game in this part of the world.
We are seeing the emergence of successful Chinese and Asian players in the global golf arena, and we are finding that there is room to grow the sport at all levels – starting from the grassroots.
Although the HSBC Champions event is only held once a year, we have support programmes to help develop young, aspiring Chinese golfers all year round. We are proud sponsors of the China National Junior team, the HSBC China Junior Open and the HSBC National Junior Golf Championship. We have a balanced, long-term interest in the development of this sport in China.
What do you see as the main benefits to HSBC as a result of golf sponsorship, as opposed to say rugby which HSBC is also heavily involved in?
Both golf and rugby share our values of integrity and fair play. Golf in particular is a great fit with HSBC because it is a sport which is global and there are plenty of local opportunities. Over the years, the HSBC Champions has allowed us to connect with customers, colleagues and communities. This is why we continue to invest in supporting this sport and see this as a key element of our overall marketing programme.
Both golf and rugby sevens will debut at the 2016 Olympics and I’m sure that many of the players and teams we are seeing today will be aspiring to participate in the Olympic games five years from now. Knowing that HSBC may have played even a small part in their ongoing and future success certainly makes me proud and makes it worthwhile.
With UBS pulling out after this year's event, the title sponsorship of the Hong Kong Open is available from 2012. With HSBC already sponsoring the Champions tournament in Shanghai and an LPGA event in Singapore, could Hong Kong's largest bank make it a clean sweep of golf events in Asian financial hubs and sponsor Hong Kong's national Open too?
I can’t predict the future! What I can say is that our commitment to growing the game of golf at all levels, in parts of Asia where it will make the most impact, is undiminished. We’ve made great strides with our HSBC Champions sponsorship which has opened doors to other opportunities to grow the sport especially among the youth through grassroots programmes, which is one of the most rewarding aspects of what we do with our sponsorships.
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