Chapter 468 Professional Talent Poaching
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed, and it was now January 6th.
The heated discussions across the city had begun to cool down after the Governor's Office announced the penalties.
With Jardines Matheson showing no signs of contesting the decision, it was clear they had accepted the outcome.
Thus, public interest gradually faded.
However, Jardines Matheson's influence in Hong Kong had taken another major hit.
Meanwhile, Lin Haoran's standing had risen sharply after the incident.
A year ago, Jardines Matheson had still looked down upon all of Hong Kong.
Who would have thought that a year later, they would fall into such dire straits?
During these two days, Lin Haoran instructed Cui Zilong to closely monitor Jardines Matheson's movements.
As expected, after failing to strike a deal with Lin Haoran, Jardines Matheson had not given up.
Simon Keswick had visited Li Jiacheng, Shen Bi, and even Citibank—yet from the looks of it, he had little success.
Securities businesses, after all, were special.
Jardines Securities had once thrived not just due to its own strength, but largely thanks to Jardines Matheson's powerful backing.
No matter how strong Jardines Securities seemed, if its value was assessed strictly based on its independent performance, few tycoons thought it worth the asking price.
Meanwhile, Jardines Matheson was unwilling to sell at a low price.
Thus, despite visiting several major players, Simon Keswick had achieved nothing.
At 9 PM on January 6th, just as Lin Haoran was about to retire for the night, the shrill ring of the telephone broke the silence.
He picked up the receiver, hearing Ma Shimin's excited voice.
"Boss, good news!
Over the past two days, I've quietly met twice with Allen, the Deputy General Manager of Jardines Securities—and my old friend.
After detailed discussions and offering substantial pay increases, he finally agreed!
He's willing to secretly bring over his entire team—around one-third of Jardines Securities' top talent!" Ma Shimin said, unable to hide his excitement.
Lin Haoran was delighted but asked in surprise,
"Mr. Ma, the Deputy General Manager is your friend?"
Naturally, Lin Haoran was focused on recruiting the top talent.
As for ordinary employees, he wasn't particularly concerned.
"Yes.
When I was a senior executive at Jardines Matheson, Jardines Securities was under my jurisdiction.
Three years ago, I personally promoted Allen," Ma Shimin explained.
"One-third of their elite talent—not bad," Lin Haoran mused.
"But if we can get more, even better."
"Boss, Jardines Securities' management structure is quite complex.
Luckily, Allen is close to me.
If we give him enough time, and through his help, we could persuade even more senior executives to switch sides—and they would bring their entire teams with them."
"But there's a catch," Ma Shimin added seriously.
"Most of these employees signed contracts with non-compete clauses and penalties.
Just Allen's group—around 200 people—would cost over HKD 10 million in breach penalties.
If we aim to lure even more mid-level elites, we'll need at least HKD 30 million to cover the total breach fees."
"Thirty million?" Lin Haoran chuckled.
"No problem. Do it."
Considering Jardines Securities' current valuation, acquiring Jardines Matheson's shares would cost at least five to six hundred million HKD.
Paying HKD 30 million to directly acquire the key people instead was a bargain.
Even if salaries needed to rise slightly, it was nothing compared to saving hundreds of millions.
Today, even elite traders earned about HKD 10,000 per month.
Even doubling their salaries would be insignificant compared to the fortune saved.
"However," Ma Shimin added cautiously,
"I've only discussed this privately with Allen.
Once he spreads the word among his team, news will inevitably leak to Jardines Securities' upper management—or even Jardines Matheson.
It will be impossible to avoid."
"Do you have a plan?" Lin Haoran asked calmly.
"I do," Ma Shimin said.
"On January 8th, Jardines Securities will announce their last fiscal year's financial results.
If we leak news beforehand suggesting Jardines Matheson plans to abandon Jardines Securities, it would surely cause internal panic and stock price turmoil."
"In such a chaotic environment, it would be the perfect time for us to poach talent."
"But," he added seriously,
"if the news leak is linked back to us, Jardines Matheson will surely suspect you, Boss, given that Simon Keswick only just recently met with you."
Lin Haoran laughed heartily.
"Mr. Ma, relax.
According to my information, Simon Keswick didn't just meet with me.
He's visited multiple business leaders these past few days.
Word has already spread."
"Even if we leak it, we won't be the only suspect.
In business, such rumors travel fast and are nearly impossible to trace."
Hearing this, Ma Shimin was visibly relieved.
"Boss, you're right.
Still, I'll carefully plan the leak to make it look like random market gossip rather than something orchestrated," Ma Shimin promised.
"Good, Mr. Ma. I appreciate your prudence.
You have my full support," Lin Haoran said, nodding approvingly.
"Even if Jardines Matheson suspects us, so what?
We already have irreconcilable enmity."
"Besides, I'm no longer afraid of them or even the Rothschilds behind them.
Their stake in Jardines Matheson is merely one of countless investments.
They won't mobilize their global might just for this."
"I have confidence in facing any challenge," Lin Haoran said confidently.
His focus was firmly on the Asia-Pacific and American markets.
Europe was now of secondary concern.
Even if relations with the UK soured, he could simply shift his investments elsewhere.
Within a decade, Lin Haoran was confident he could surpass even the Rothschild family in strength.
"Very well, Boss.
I'll begin preparations tonight.
By tomorrow morning, the entire Hong Kong market will know Jardines Matheson intends to sell Jardines Securities," Ma Shimin said excitedly.
"I look forward to good news," Lin Haoran laughed.
If they could successfully poach Jardines Securities' core teams, not only would they deal a heavy blow to Jardines Matheson,
but they would also massively strengthen Huanyu Investment Company.
Currently, Huanyu's operations were relatively simple—mostly focused on trading.
But giants like Jardines Securities and Wardley had diverse businesses:
securities brokerage, financial consulting, privatizations, underwriting, proprietary trading, asset management, and more.
In terms of breadth, brand strength, client base, capital, and risk control, Huanyu lagged far behind.
However, if Huanyu could absorb Jardines Securities' core teams,
it would be a monumental leap forward.
Through acquiring their talent and resources, Huanyu could rapidly diversify its operations and rise to become a leader in Asia's financial sector.
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