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At Asiamoney's inaugural equity forum held at Hong Kong's Ritz Carlton Hotel in October, we brought together six representatives covering diverse sectors of the industry to discuss the issues of the day.

It started out in tin. Then, after years of dormancy, it became the vehicle for one of Malaysia's most powerful gaming companies – in a country 60% populated by Muslims. Then it moved into power. And the rumour in Malaysia is that it will enter financial services next. Meet Tanjong. The man in charge of this increasingly diverse but fascinating company is CEO Tan Poh Ching. His background mirrors the cosmopolitan nature of the company: not in gaming or power (or finance), but with oil company Shell, for whom he worked for 18 years following a mechanical engineering degree acquired at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. He joined Pan Malaysian Pools, a company subsequently bought by Tanjong, as COO, then CEO, before stepping up to the top job at Tanjong itself.

When Samuel DiPiazza took over as CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers on January 1 he could have had little idea what he was letting himself in for. Eleven months on, with his entire industry under exceptional scrutiny, he is dead-pan: “I'm anxious to get through December,” he confides. It says a lot about the volatility of DiPiazza's first year, for example, that we can no longer speak of a ‘big five'. But the CEO remains vocal; outspoken even. He has recently co-authored a book that sets out to change the nature of corporate reporting. And when drawn onto broader questions about the behaviour of his profession, he is candid, calling the US arrogant and insensitive, the fall of Arthur Andersen an uncalled for tragedy, and the behaviour of SEC lawyers unhelpful.

The allure of the renminbi

David Li leads a busy and conspicuous life. The Bank of East Asia CEO, member of the Hong Kong legislature and regular tabloid target, faces pressure not only from an intrusive press but from an economic environment that is pushing his, and other smaller banks in Hong Kong, to merge or be bought. But he has placed himself at the forefront of a debate he believes will be good not just for his bank but all of Hong Kong: the SAR's role as an offshore renminbi centre. Can he keep his bank independent? By Pauline Loong.

It's carnage out there

Analysts and investors gripe about New World Development, seeing it as untransparent, debt-laden and confusing. A recent restructuring of the group, apparently accompanied by a new spirit of openness, addresses some, but not all, of these concerns. How far does it go? By Chris Wright.

Last December, EuroWeek asked the leading houses in the international bond markets for their views on which deals had been the best, or worst, of 2002.

Supranational

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