PCCW Chief May Seem Out of Place at His Firm Today

摘要

Hong Kong - The transformation of Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd. from new-media conglomerate to nuts-and-bolts telephone utility has left its visionary chief executive, Richard Li, something of a misfit in his own company. Two years ago, when PCCW won its bid to take over Hong Kong's main phone company, Mr. Li and his team trumpeted plans to convert it into a New Economy colossus that would beam interactive entertainment to millions of "viewsers" through satellites and the Internet. Instead, it is PCCW's own managers that have been converted, from starry-eyed cybercowboys to buttoned-down telecom executives. Humbled by the failure of their global entertainment network to get off the ground, PCCW managers have shifted their attention to the fixed-line phone business they purchased from Cable & Wireless PLC in a $29 billion leveraged buyout.