Working his way up from a dish washer, Mr Robinson has been involved in all of Disney's overseas park openings.

Hong Kong may well have been his toughest assignment, what with the city's intense local media spotlight. Helping him navigate the mine field, Lai See understands, was seasoned public relations veteran Lo Chi-kin.

We trust Mr Robinson's new posting will be more relaxed.

Tycoon richard li reverts to type

It looks like Richard Li Tzar-kai is closing in on his dream of becoming a media tycoon - again. Hong Kong Economic Journal shareholder Cho Chi-ming, a 33-year veteran famous for his 'Investor's Diary' column, yesterday confirmed advanced negotiations with the Son of Superman and former head of Star TV.

Not everyone is impressed, however, including at least one of Master Li's former employees. 'If our media is backed by tycoons, I am afraid it is meaningless to say freedom of press in Hong Kong,' said Linus Cheung Wing-lam, who stayed on as Hong Kong Telecom's chief executive after Mr Li bought the incumbent and rechristened it PCCW.

city gets a perfect mark from wto

Finally a moment for Hong Kong's fatigued WTO organisers to rest on their laurels.

Three weeks after the conclusion of the WTO's sixth ministerial conference, steering committee chair Denise Yu Chung-yee yesterday hosted about one hundred corporate sponsors (but no South Korean farmers) to lunch at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Ms Yu boasted that for its organisational efforts Hong Kong had received a 'perfect' mark from the WTO.

An encore then? Why not do it again and offer our fair city up for the seventh ministerial conference next year? Not for another three centuries, quipped Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology John Tsang Chun-wah.

hutch to offer investors a massage

Ever since Hutchison Whampoa began its global 3G roll-out, the company has had to massage its financials with a series of one-off disposals and spin-offs employed to make good on telecommunications investment losses. This year the company will take the strategy one step further and start selling massages to investors.

Really. Hutch is preparing a spin-off of its Chinese medicine retail and manufacturing unit, Hutchison Chinese Medicine Investment. This includes Sen, which operates two British health clinics offering massage therapy, reflexology, acupuncture and herbal teas.

morgan stanley named best in region

Congratulations to Morgan Stanley, which has been named the region's best investment bank by Finance Asia and The Asset. In the news this week after two high-profile executive defections, the bank in fact had a very good 2005 capped by China Construction Bank's US$9.2 billion IPO.

geely shows its made in china mark

Geely Automobile's exhibit at the Detroit Auto Show has caused quite a stir, as it boasts the first Chinese-manufactured car to take its place on a stand in Motown.

But the 7151 CK four-door model didn't cut much ice with a motoring correspondent from the New York Times who described it as 'about as bare-bones as cars come'.

'Space is tight, the seats are stiff and the car rattles for a couple of seconds if the doors are slammed too hard,' he added. 'It has two cigarette lighters - a sign it is a true Chinese automobile.'