Ageing

I meet with companies from all types of industries on a daily basis. Every now and then I get a chance to talk to a CEO that is truly passionate about their field of business.

This past week I met with a 30-something year old woman who has started an investment holdings company focused on the business of ageing. Essentially, she connects private companies from all types of sectors (healthcare, property development, engineering, ect.) and encourages them to collaborate and invest in the senior population.
The world's elderly population is steadily increasing as people are marrying later, having less children, and living longer. It's expected that the number of Asia's seniors alone will be over 1.2 billion by 2050- that will be over half of the region's population. To put it bluntly, our generation will be those seniors and our needs and concerns will be what drives the global economy.
Some of the initiatives of this company include seminars and conferences to start brainstorming different methods of enabling older individuals to take care of themselves (independence), cultivate active lifestyles (health), and ensure they live fulfilling lives for as long as they can (happiness). Unlike our grandparents' era when it was the social standard to take care of our parents, our modern mentality is to take care of ourselves. So, it seems wise to invest in solutions that will benefit us in the future. Anyway, I was impressed by this woman's company and her passion for humanity and her savvy ability to turn it into a profitable cause by enlisting private companies to start joint ventures. To learn more: htttp://ageingasiainvest.com

And on a similar note of happy seniors:

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being invited to a family dinner by arguably one of the most influential Indian entrepreneurs of Hong Kong. He is the active head of a hospitality company and is over 90 years old! He lives in a mansion (70 bedrooms) with all of his family members... so this family dinner I attended was more of a party. I met various uncles and aunts, well past their 80s, who were all funny, intelligent, lively, and could out-drink me with their scotch and my wine. I was amazed by how young-looking and healthy this generation was and as the wine warmed my heart (and my face... that Asian flush gets the best of me), I had to ask a particularly silly great-Uncle, what was the secret?? He answered: Family, scotch, and being social and independent despite how old you get.

I hope I can keep my thirst for life and sense of humor fifty years from now.