Former accountant Colum Bancroft turned his expertise to interior design, finding a niche market for quality imported products in Hong Kong and China

After 10 years in practice here, British-born Mr Bancroft quit his former profession to start his own design business, collaborating with one of the world's top interior-enhancement companies.

''There is no better place than Hong Kong to start a business," he said. "If you find a niche where nobody is doing anything then you can take advantage of that."

Mr Bancroft became convinced there was an unexplored market in Hong Kong and China for top-class interior work, so he drew up a business plan, hoping to persuade suppliers he was the right person to push their products.

The first company he approached - Stevensons of Norwich, in England - is also renowned as one of the best, famous for pioneering work on a variety of buildings from high profile sites to residential houses.

The boss said yes - and Mr Bancroft is now managing director of Interior Enhancement Limited (IEL), a Hong Kong-based company that has the sole Far Eastern rights to Stevensons products. Stevensons' past clients have included Buckingham Palace, the Bank of England, the Savoy Hotel and Harrods in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Summer Palace in Amman.

Prestigious projects secured

Business for IEL has so far been brisk, further buoying Mr Bancroft's confidence. Among the prestigious projects IEL has secured is Bel Air, the upmarket apartment complex incorporated into the Cyberport development on the south side of Hong Kong.

A showroom in the Central district is fitted out with samples of Stevensons plaster work, including fireplaces, wall freizes and statues, many in classical and elegant European styles. IEL also supplies a variety of other materials such as glass-reinforced gypsum and glass-reinforced polyester. Designs can be off-the-shelf, from the wide range in stock, or custom made.

"The brand combines technology, tradition and artistry," says Mr Bancroft. "This the first time Stevensons has looked at Asia, and we are finding it is very popular in this part of the world. We have been supplying to private residential apartments, for the lobbies and ballrooms of hotels and malls, and the lobbies of commercial buildings. It is for people who want something out of the ordinary.

"As well as Hong Kong we are looking at Shanghai - residential projects and restoration projects - and at Beijing."

China is also important to another arm of the business, IEL International, which sources materials such as granite, rough slate and marble for export. One of Mr Bancroft's business partners, Jonathan Thompson, has a trading background while the other, John Wright, is a qualified civil engineer.

Like so many people before, they were charmed by Hong Kong's entrepreneurial spirit and its business-friendly environment. In Mr Bancroft's case, he was so smitten by the commercial possibilities that he quit his job and lived off his savings for a year, despite having a wife and two young children - a decision that has since been vindicated.

"Right now people are delaying some decisions but Hong Kong is a very resilient place. Things will turn around. I am very upbeat - it is a great place for business."

Related link:
IEL www.iel.com.hk