This is the second of a three-part series featuring extracts and information from Faces Of Fortune, a new book that 'reads' the faces of 20 of Asia's most prominent tycoons.
To succeed in life, one has to understand people. To succeed in the financial markets, it is not enough to understand the economic fundamentals and current trends because, ultimately, the economy is made up of people.
If you understand people and how they operate, it becomes your biggest weapon in sealing that deal, buying that winning stock, making more money and, above all, being happy.
The knowledge of face reading, or Mian Xiang, significantly increases our understanding of people.
In Faces Of Fortune, author Tee Lin Say uses Mian Xiang to pick out 20 of Asia's most prominent tycoons, and then explain why investors should place money on their companies over the next 10 years.
Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir, Kencana Petroleum Bhd
Last week, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning oil and gas player Kencana Petroleum Bhd made headlines when news of its proposed merger with SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd was announced.
If that materialises, it will be the biggest merger in the country this year, and will create a regional contender in the upstream oil and gas sector.
Are we surprised with this development? Definitely not because, from his face, we know that Kencana chief Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir is in for bigger things – after he turned 50 this January.
Mokhzani is the son of former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad. Since Kencana's listing on the main board of Bursa Malaysia in December 2006, its share price has compounded by some 45% over a five-year period.
Based on the lower portion of Mokhzani's face, which is extremely fleshy, the next decade looks very favourable for him. You will notice that his chin has started to stick out, albeit gently.
The chin is also known as the North Mountain. When this Mountain stands out on the face, it typically denotes a person who is tough and not sentimental.
Mokhzani's protruding chin also tells us that he is able to hold on to what he already has. As his entire chin is fleshy and well-formed, we are looking at good fortune all the way till old age.
His eyebrows (known as the Siblings Palace) work in his favour, too. Their density indicates that he has good business partnerships. He has the right people to help and support him in his dealings.
Mokhzani's eyebrows are also straight, a sign that he makes decisions based on facts. He is systematic and does not act rashly.
Another key feature is his nose – it is high and strong, with wide nose wings and a broad and deep philtrum. His nostrils are clearly hidden from the front, a sign that his Wealth Palace is protected.
Wealth aside, Mokhzani's nose also reveals that he is strong in character and wields lots of clout.
Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, SP Setia
SP Setia Bhd is the largest property developer and sector leader in Malaysia, in terms of sales. Its RM6bil KL Eco-City could well be the next transportation hub, while its RM10bil Jalan Bangsar project near KL Sentral is smack in a web of transport lines and links.
Its Fulton Lane condos in Australia recently recorded a 75% take-up for Phase 1. Given the overwhelming demand, the launch for Phase 2 of the project may be brought forward to September, likely at 10% more than the average selling price.
SP Setia's strong position in the property market is the result of the foresight and creativity of its CEO, Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin.
The group has more than 3,500 acres of undeveloped land, which should keep it riding high for the next 10 years. Can Liew continue to deliver returns to his shareholders and capital appreciation for his homebuyers?
Looking at his face, the answer is yes.
As Liew is a real estate man, we naturally have to focus on his Property Palace, the area between the eyebrows and eyes. See how broad and spacious his Property Palace is? You can literally run a finger through it.
What's more, it is not concave and there are no protruding bones – solid signs that Liew is a reliable developer who creates beautiful homes.
To evaluate how successful he is in his field, we have to study his Property Palace in relation to his Wealth Palace (the nose).
Liew's nose is fleshy, with wide nose wings and hidden nostrils.
The wide wings denote his ability to generate income from the sale of his properties, while the hidden nostrils show that the money he makes is protected.
Furthermore, his nose dips downwards, an indication of business savvy. He is good at sniffing out deals and creating huge capital upside for those who purchase his houses.
Liew's most striking feature is his eyebrows, which are dense and arched. The denseness "conceals" passion, vision and stamina, while the arch is a mark of willpower. No one can say he lacks guts.
From his long and small eyes, we can tell that Liew is careful and does not reveal his plans at random. He bides his time before striking.
We think Liew will continue to surprise the market with iconic developments and innovations. We see this in his relatively short chin, which juts out. Coupled with fleshy earlobes, this denotes creativity and a very prosperous old age.
Tan Sri Lim Wee-Chai, Top Glove
Mention rubber gloves and those who know will agree that the leader of the pack, globally, is Malaysia's home-grown Top Glove Corp Bhd.
Who could imagine that a village boy from a speck of a town called Titi in Jelebu, Negri Sembilan, would one day have the world flocking to his factories for his products?
Top Glove is definitely No.1 in the field today and is growing at a rate of 35% per annum. How did its founder, Tan Sri Lim Wee-Chai, expand his empire so quickly?
Lim would probably say that he did it by setting some simple business rules for his executives: "Do not lose your shareholders' money. Do not lose your health. Do not lose your temper. Do not lose your customers."
In 2012, Lim will be 54, or 55 in Chinese years.
In face reading, the age points for 54 and 55 are located just above the top of the lips, the area known as the Eating Storage.
Lim's 54 and 55 positions look extremely favourable. Notice how they are not only fleshy, but also wide. For a better reading, we need to evaluate his Eating Storage together with his mouth.
It's obvious how wide Lim's mouth is. Besides, both his upper and lower lips are thick. As we say in Mian Xiang, "bigger mouth, bigger crowd". Well, he certainly has the world knocking at his door for gloves!
The wide mouth shows that he has leadership qualities and will continue to exert a strong influence on the global glove sector in the next six years. We say six because Lim's next age points are all located around the mouth.
We also cannot ignore his eyes, which are long, small and very alert. From that, we can see that he is goal-oriented and ahead of his time.
But he is guarded about his strategies and does not reveal his cards easily. To put it in lay terms, it is not easy to make even a dollar from him.
The length of Lim's eyes also shows that he is far-sighted and has concrete plans for the future. Just as he could "foresee" the potential for rubber gloves years ago, he probably has worked out his next move to ensure that his company remains in pole position.
'Faces of Fortune: The 20 Tycoons To Bet On Over The Next 10 Years' will be available at Joey Yap's 'Wealth & Destiny' seminar in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, and leading bookstores from August. For details, call 03-2284 8080.
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