About Swire

Swire's name in Chinese is Taikoo (太古), which roughly translates as "Great and Ancient". We will celebrate our two hundredth anniversary in 2016, thereby putting at least half of our Chinese title beyond debate.

Longevity of this degree means our industry peers and customers not only know what we do, they also know the way we do it. They will have certain assumptions about our integrity, professionalism and ability to deliver good service, so it is vital we continue to keep coming up to the mark. By its very nature, proven durability in the business world presupposes we have the ability to adapt and evolve with our markets and the drive to continually seek improvement.

The Swire group of companies encompasses a diverse range of business sectors. Broadly speaking, these can be categorised as Property, Aviation, Agribusiness & Food Chain, Marine Services and Trading & Industrial interests. Today our interests are global, but with a focus principally on the Asia Pacific region, with Hong Kong as our hub.

Our long history in this region and extensive background in these sectors has ensured we take a long-term perspective when it comes to developing business strategy: we invest for the long-term and we plan for the future. Being forward-looking and innovative are qualities that we pride ourselves upon; they have helped us grow and have enabled Swire companies to set benchmarks in the industries in which we operate.

Central to our long-term strategy is a commitment to develop our businesses along sustainable lines: finding new ways to reduce resources consumed, looking after the welfare of our customers and staff and caring for the wider community. We constantly test and re-test our ability to embrace sustainability because we firmly believe in our ethical duty to do so ; and, in purely pragmatic terms, such behaviour is complementary with long-term value creation for our shareholders.

The common thread that runs through all the companies in our diverse group is dedication to operational excellence; it is our principal strength. Swire is committed to investing in the appropriate equipment, training and technology to enable our companies, in whatever field they operate, to offer quality services to their customers. Even more importantly, though, we recognise that our physical assets are only as good as the people who operate them. We must never forget that our most valuable assets are our staff members, and it is thanks to their competence, professional attitude and commitment to safe and efficient operations, that Swire is now approaching our 200-year milestone.

James Hughes-Hallett