Carmen Ow, who is a director at Clydesbuilt Group, affectionately calls her father “The Boss”, while Victor calls her “Princess”, but for this article, she’s the boss. “Since she asked, I agreed to do it,” he says with a laugh.
They are a riot at our shoot with their witty banter. Victor — he is chairman and CEO at Clydesbuilt Group — cracks the crew up with jokes and funny stories, but when he looked a bit solemn at one point as the shutters were clicking, Carmen, without prompting, poked him in the ribs, making him break out into a big smile and giggles. Within 10 minutes, we got the winning shot!
The stylish father-daughter duo loves shopping together – a family past-time since she was a wee lass in a pram. “My father has a larger wardrobe than mine or my mother’s,” Carmen lets on. “He never throws anything away!”
Their next favourite things to do as a family, she says, are eating (“but I wish he’d stop eating all my ice cream without telling me or replenishing my supply!”) and holidaying.
As the self-appointed
designated travel planner, Carmen loves tagging along on holidays with her dad and mum Pui Yee. Victor shares: “When she is with us, she does all the planning, like which restaurants to go to, which wineries and even driving the family around as she is worried that all the driving will make me too tired.”
His heart swells in seeing her sense of family values and character. “She has grown up to be a fine young lady who respects and loves all her friends and relatives. For example, when she was young, she learned to speak Cantonese so she can communicate with her grandparents.”
Carmen says he has set her a good example. “My dad is my hero and inspiration because he never gives up when he puts his mind to something. Like learning the piano. When I started taking lessons years ago, he decided to buy some books and pick it up himself. He’s even learning a South Korean song now for my mum! It’s inspiring because although it has taken him some time to learn, he has never given up, and it truly shows me that learning can be lifelong; age should not be a factor.”
Explaining that his family couldn’t afford piano lessons for him when he was younger, Victor says he challenged himself to be good enough to play a few songs, even though it seemed like an impossible task. To him, “determination and perseverance lead to success”.
“This principle applies to everything we do in life, as nothing can be achieved without labour. I’m also trying to be a living example to Carmen, since actions speak louder than words.”
Art direction: Audrey Chan
Photography: Joel Low
Hair: Sean Ang
Make-up: Keith Bryant Lee, using Armani Beauty, and Sophia Chia/Makeup Pros
Photography assistance: Alfie Pan
Location: Siri House The post Like father, like daughter: Victor and Carmen Ow appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
