Chapter 476: Galaxy Securities Company, Striving to Become the Number One in Hong Kong's Industry!
Twenty minutes later, Lin Haoran was already inside the Concordia Building. Today, the building was noticeably quieter than on a typical weekday, but there was still a considerable amount of foot traffic. As the second tallest building in Hong Kong at the time, over two-thirds of the Concordia Building's floors were rented out to tenants such as financial companies, law firms, and regional headquarters of multinational corporations. Not all companies observed weekend breaks; some were fortunate to have even two days off in a month.
Lin Haoran, accompanied by his bodyguards, took the elevator and soon arrived on the 51st floor. Upon entering the office, he found Ma Shimin, Dai Shi, and Mr. Allen already waiting for him.
"Boss," the three stood up in unison to greet Lin Haoran.
Although Allen was still in a somewhat awkward position, he had already accepted Lin Haoran as his new boss. At this moment, Lin Haoran could even see Allen's loyalty level displayed as 78. A loyalty level of 78 was considered relatively low compared to the executives across Lin Haoran's various companies, but Lin Haoran was already quite satisfied. The most important factor was Allen's immense contribution to the current situation. Without him, they would not have been able to recruit so many elite talents so successfully, nor would Lin Haoran have been able to retaliate against Jardines Matheson so smoothly.
Lin Haoran had come to understand loyalty quite well by now. As long as he entrusted Allen with real authority and allowed him to manage the company, Allen, moved by gratitude, would naturally increase his loyalty.
"You've all worked hard. Please sit down. Mr. Allen, could you please report the situation to me?" Lin Haoran said as he turned his gaze to Allen, the major contributor to their recent success. Without Allen, who was previously the deputy general manager at Jardines Matheson Securities, they wouldn't have been able to lure so many talents away so effectively.
"Yes, Boss. This morning, I received several calls in succession from representatives among the elite employees from Jardines Matheson Securities who have not yet formally joined us. According to them, last night, the senior executives of Jardines Matheson Securities called them, trying to retain them with promises of salary raises and promotions. However, many understand the current precarious state of Jardines Matheson Securities. They feel there's no future even if they stay, so they are more inclined to follow the majority and jump ship to our side. These calls represent at least 150 employees with such intentions. Combined with the more than 700 employees who have already signed contracts with us, the total number of people planning to transfer from Jardines Matheson Securities to our company now exceeds 900. These 900-plus individuals constitute the backbone of Jardines Matheson Securities. Once they officially integrate into our company, we will indirectly seize a significant amount of business resources. I have already arranged for them to come here and collectively sign new contracts before 10 a.m.," Allen reported.
Lin Haoran glanced at his watch; it was already 9:30 a.m., not far from the 10 a.m. target Allen had mentioned. Signing the contracts would eliminate any possibility of them backing out, so ensuring that task was completed soon was crucial. However, with half an hour remaining, there was no need to rush.
"Mr. Allen, you've done an excellent job," Lin Haoran praised with a nod.
After a brief moment of thought, he turned to Dai Shi and asked, "How's the progress on relocating Huanyu Investment Company to the Concordia Building?"
"Boss, we actually don't have much to move. Mr. Ma Shimin has already secured the 38th and 39th floors of the Concordia Building for us, and the office layouts are being redesigned. The main task is transporting all the accounting books from Wanqing Building; the rest is minor. At the current pace, the move should be completed within the next two days. We can start working directly from the Concordia Building next week. I already informed all the employees before the end of the workday yesterday," Dai Shi replied.
Lin Haoran nodded in acknowledgment and then turned his gaze toward Ma Shimin.
"Mr. Ma, after careful consideration last night, I believe that the independent operation model of Huanyu Investment Company is no longer suitable. Therefore, I have decided that Huanyu Investment Company in Hong Kong and Huanyu Investment Company in New York will formally separate and no longer belong to the same corporate structure. The New York branch will continue to be managed directly by me, while the Hong Kong branch will be incorporated into the Land Corporation as a subsidiary after staff expansion. Moreover, I've carefully chosen a new name for the company—Galaxy Securities Company. I propose that Mr. Ma Shimin be appointed as the Chairman, Mr. Allen as the General Manager, and Mr. Dai Shi as the Executive Vice General Manager. Do you have any objections to these arrangements?"
Having finished speaking, Lin Haoran once again looked at the three.
The main business of Huanyu Investment Company in New York involved secretly acquiring stocks of major quality-listed companies in the U.S., which were private investments Lin Haoran couldn't possibly entrust to others. However, the Hong Kong branch's business activities were no longer secret, as most acquisitions had already been made public, except for the covert absorption of East Asia Bank shares. Thus, there was no need to maintain the independent operations model in Hong Kong anymore. This restructuring had been discussed with Ma Shimin previously, but now the plan was more detailed.
Hearing Lin Haoran's decision, the three men were initially slightly stunned but quickly composed themselves.
"Boss, the name Galaxy Securities Company is perfect! It sounds much better than the names of other securities firms. Rest assured, I will give my best to manage the new Galaxy Securities Company and leverage the strong background of the Land Corporation. Combined with the fact that we've absorbed almost all the core personnel from Jardines Matheson Securities, I am very confident that within one year, Galaxy Securities Company will rank among the top three in Hong Kong's industry, and even aiming for number one is not an unreachable dream!" Ma Shimin patted his chest and smiled confidently at Lin Haoran.
Lin Haoran nodded with satisfaction. He trusted Ma Shimin's abilities.
"Boss, I will definitely manage Galaxy Securities Company well. Although I was only the Deputy General Manager at Jardines Matheson Securities before, I am fully aware of the responsibilities of a General Manager. I will not disappoint you!" Allen said with equal confidence.
In reality, the General Manager would be the direct operator of the enterprise, and Allen's role would be crucial to Galaxy Securities Company's future. His loyalty had already risen from 78 to 84 upon Lin Haoran's official appointment, a clear sign of his growing commitment. A loyalty of 84 was already quite acceptable—Lin Haoran could now fully trust him.
Satisfied, Lin Haoran nodded at Allen and turned his attention to Dai Shi.
Dai Shi showed no dissatisfaction at not becoming the General Manager, nor did his loyalty decrease. He understood his own capabilities well. When Huanyu Investment Company was just a small company of over a hundred people, he might have been able to manage it. But the future Galaxy Securities Company, aiming to be Hong Kong's number one securities firm, would inevitably become a massive organization. Managing such a company was beyond his current capabilities. Becoming the Executive Vice General Manager and learning from Allen and Ma Shimin was already an ideal outcome. Once his skills improved, advancing to General Manager might still be possible in the future.
"Boss, I have no objections either. However, with the company's sudden expansion, I am concerned that my abilities may fall short. If I make any mistakes, I hope Mr. Ma and Mr. Allen will guide and support me," Dai Shi said humbly.
Hearing this, Lin Haoran patted Dai Shi on the shoulder and encouraged him with a smile, "Dai Shi, I have always been very satisfied with your performance. I believe you are capable of handling the Executive Vice General Manager role. Don't worry, just do your best!"
Relieved, Dai Shi visibly relaxed.
Thus, the establishment of Galaxy Securities Company was officially decided.
Not long after, Ma Shimin's secretary knocked and reported that more than 150 former employees from Jardines Matheson Securities had arrived and were currently waiting in the new employee training room on the 42nd floor, ready to sign their new contracts.
"Let's go. We can continue our conversation later. We mustn't keep them waiting!" Lin Haoran said with a wave.
The three of them then exited the office and took the elevator down to the 42nd floor.
Upon arriving at the training room, Lin Haoran saw that it was indeed packed with people. A quick scan revealed more than 150 individuals—two-thirds of whom were Chinese and one-third Westerners. Anxiety was evident on many faces.
The presence of so many Westerners did not surprise Lin Haoran. In Hong Kong, financial sector jobs were high-end and attractive. Many of his companies already employed numerous Westerners, and he had no issues with that. After all, Ma Shimin himself was a Westerner.
Top talent was hard to find, and elite talent even more so. As long as they could help him make money, that was enough. As the saying went: it doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.
These employees were the same—whether Chinese or Westerner, those who could make money were good employees. That said, Lin Haoran still leaned toward nurturing more Chinese employees in the future, as could already be seen in Hong Kong Electric Group and Wanqing Group, both of which were increasingly dominated by Chinese staff across all levels.
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