Mannerisms

The housing market in Calgary was, at that time, in a deep depression. Snook had two houses in the town, both of  which were worth less than their mortgages. He sold them both for one dollar. With $15,000 in savings he set off to see the world.

He started his travels in Asia and, after six months, found himself in Hong Kong. There   he got offered a job with a local paging and computer company called Young Generation.

He told them he would give up his back-packing for one year and work for them.

He liked Hong Kong. "It is full of hard-driving people getting things done pragmatically and successfully", said Snook. It suited his character.

"At the end of the year they convinced me to stay on one more year". As the second year came to its close, he gave notice to end the tenancy on his apartment and prepared to hit the road. One week before he was due to set off, he got a call from an executive at Hutchison Whampoa.

Over lunch he was offered the job of running Hutchison Whampoa's cellular and paging business. Interested, and aware of the job's potential, he agreed to give it a year. That was in 1986, and he could see the opportunity.

The mobile communications business in Hong Kong was fragmented and disorganised. He realised that a unified network under one name, with one brand, could be hugely attractive to consumers. That's exactly what he accomplished.

A logo - four squares - was created, the equipment was completely replaced a new computer system was installed, a new customer service system was introduced, and Snook started buying or renting retail properties in Hong Kong.

 Without anyone finding out the plans, which could have affected existing business, he quietly renovated fifteen stores.

All fifteen were opened on the same day. "There was absolute consternation. I had everybody in uniform. It took off like a rocket but, funnily enough, the stores were blue, and people said:  'You can't use blue, it's the colour of death in Hong Kong'. But I thought: 'It's a New World, forget it. We'll put blue in because blue is our logo."

So successful was the launch that Hutchison became, at that time (1988-9), the most profitable cellular and paging company in the world.