ANDREWLI

Zouk’s head honcho shares his perspective on leadership, yoga and spaghetti Bolognese

t was at boarding school in London when Andrew Li displayed qualities of the affable leader he would become. “The older boys would bully the younger ones in the name of tradition; I wasn’t spared either,” recounts the 34-year-old CEO of Zouk. “As I got older, I encouraged those who were bullied to join the judo team, of which I was captain. This grew their confidence.” Upon graduation, Andrew returned to Hong Kong, where his family still resides, and joined the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. “My boss at the time reminded us to ‘treat your guests and colleagues the way you want to be treated.’” This shaped Andrew’s own leadership mantra. Now based in Singapore, Andrew is also vice president of lifestyle and F&B concepts at Genting Hong Kong, which owns Zouk. He’s focused on evolving the iconic nightclub brand, which saw the recent launch of its new space, Capital (the dram he’s pictured with comes from its well-stocked whisky bar). His ultimate goal: to grow the Zouk brand into a lifestyle empire.

“I recently started doing yoga at Yoga Movement, because I hate stretching after my triathlons. It forces me to stretch my body and trains my core. I try to go three to four times a week during lunchtime. Plus, it perks me up for the rest of the day.”

“I travel to stay inspired. I’m at a point in my life where I want to experience the world. Just over Chinese New Year, I went cave trekking in Vietnam, which was awe-inspiring but tough because we had to camp inside a massive cave, not shower for days...

“I’m attending Coachella this month with some members of the team to see if there are ideas we can adapt for Zoukout. I would have been more excited if Beyoncé was headlining the festival, but Lady Gaga will have to do.”

“One of my favourite TV series is Chef’s Table. I love eating and many of my fondest memories with family and friends revolve around food. I cook on weekends and experiment with Jamie Oliver’s recipes by adding a local touch.”

Spaghetti Bolognese

Chinese soup