1. Allan Zeman was born into a Jewish family in Regensburg, West Germany, and was raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where his mother worked in a hospital.
31 Facts About Allan Zeman
1. 2.
Allan Zeman dropped out of college, and by the age of nineteen, while working for a lingerie company, he had earned his first US$1 million.
3.
Allan Zeman made his first fortune by importing clothes from Hong Kong.
4.
Allan Zeman frequently travelled to Hong Kong for work in the 1970s, and eventually moved there in 1975.
5.
Allan Zeman speaks English, French and some Cantonese, and is a teetotaler.
6.
In 1975, Allan Zeman founded Colby International Group to source clothing in China and export it to Canada.
7.
Allan Zeman bought the entire block in 1984 and thus launched his career as both an entertainment operator and property developer.
8.
Allan Zeman is said to own 65 percent of the district's properties.
9.
In July 2003, Allan Zeman was appointed as chairman of Ocean Park Hong Kong by the city's Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa.
10.
Allan Zeman was personally involved in the park's promotion, for which he frequently put on costumes like pumpkins and jellyfish, and once did a helicopter landing dressed as an Eskimo.
11.
In June 2014, Allan Zeman stepped down from chairmanship after 11 years.
12.
Allan Zeman revealed that he wished to continue but was forced out by the government.
13.
Allan Zeman believes that the decision was due to a government guideline that limited positions on statutory bodies to six-year terms.
14.
Allan Zeman was dubbed "Hong Kong's Mouse Killer" in 2007 by Forbes magazine for holding off the challenge from Hong Kong Disneyland.
15.
In 2001, Allan Zeman was appointed a Justice of the Peace in Hong Kong.
16.
Allan Zeman was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star in 2004 and the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2011.
17.
Allan Zeman is involved with After Dark Films, a movie company.
18.
Allan Zeman is a property developer and built the Andara Resort and Villas in Phuket, Thailand.
19.
In 2020 Allan Zeman was working with Richard Li on a villa and golf course development in Phang Nga.
20.
Allan Zeman is chairman of Mesco Shipyard Ltd and DKA Ltd, and a director of Wynn Resorts.
21.
Allan Zeman is a non-executive director of Pacific Century Premium Developments Ltd.
22.
Allan Zeman supported Regina Ip, the former Secretary for Security in the 2007 LegCo by-election in the Hong Kong Island constituency.
23.
Allan Zeman ran in the Election Committee constituency of the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election but was not elected.
24.
Allan Zeman is prominent in government circles, sitting on various committees, boards and advisory bodies.
25.
Allan Zeman is a long-standing member of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.
26.
Allan Zeman is a member of the Economic and Employment Council in Hong Kong.
27.
Allan Zeman is a board member of the Tourism Strategy Group for the Hong Kong Tourism Commission, the Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Urban Renewal Authority.
28.
Allan Zeman is a member of the International Events Fund Steering Committee for the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
29.
Allan Zeman was appointed as a member of the Services Promotion Strategy Group, chaired by the Financial Secretary.
30.
Allan Zeman is on the Board of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and Hong Kong Community Chest.
31.
Allan Zeman has long held the right of abode in Hong Kong; this entitled him to a Hong Kong permanent identity card.