Dairy Queen of Hong Kong: Meet Kowloon Dairy’s Charmaine Li

The joint CEO of Kowloon Dairy, Women of Power honouree Charmaine Li tells Prestige what it’s like working with relatives and why horse-racing is her passion.

So far, 2024 has been a year of torrential work obligations, which seem to hit from different directions. However, I take great solace in seeing projects through with a sense of achievement and a tinge of relief. The more pertinent win for me is that at the same time I’ve improved my health a lot. I still have some way to go, but I’m able to enjoy myself more with the process and outlook.

Kowloon Dairy is a private business, so we have a lot of flexibility in steering the company, which is accelerating harder and faster with the inevitable pull of e-commerce and social media. We’ll also be celebrating our 85th anniversary in early 2025, a milestone we’re tremendously proud of.

Horse racing is in my blood. My father was following his father into the stables at a very early age. I was hooked the first time I visited my father’s horse at the Happy Valley stables. They’re beautiful and majestic creatures. Winning is, of course, an elating experience, but I’m in it for the love of the sport and the animals. It’s a lifestyle that I’m incredibly passionate about. I wish my father were still here discussing horses with me – he still had so much to teach me.

I’m usually cautiously optimistic. I never think there’ll be success just because you worked at it. I trust the process that if you keep at it with all your might, it will bring you closer to your goal. And if you’re relentless, you may hit the bullseye. But luck seldom has anything to do with it.

Passion for film and production also runs in our family. I remember my maternal grandfather used to go through scripts before our regular Sunday dinners, and I was fascinated about how to turn words on pages to moving images. The allure of filmmaking is pure magic.

Coming from the same family, working in a family business means we have the same goal and same expectations. This makes our vision uniform and aligned. Mutual respect is key, and the trust that we have the best interest of the business at heart. Besides, if something goes awry, we know where each other lives!

I dress according to my mood and not necessarily for practicality. Some of my favourite fashion labels are Erdem and Simone Rocha, sprinkled with some Roksanda. MaxMara cuts wonderful casual pieces, while I turn to Khaite for knits and La Double J for dinner attire. Gianvito Rossi and Aquazzura dominate my shoe closet, but I do love a pair of Adidas Shell Tops.