JNA Awards 2020 - Jewellery Industry Best Practices

28 JNA AWARDS 2020 When he was 11 years old, Lawrence Ma lost his father to a heart attack. But even death could not take away the valuable lessons he taught him early on – ones that would greatly influence his ascent as an entrepreneur, an advocate and a man. More than five decades later, Ma stands tall as a celebrated business figure. He is both CEO of the Lee Heng Diamond Group and Founding President and Chairman of the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong. He is also one of two Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients at the JNA Awards 2020 – a far cry from the teenager who used to rush home after school, just so he could help his brother in the family business. Still, he carries with him the resounding words of his first and most important mentor – his late father, Ma Hing Chou. “My father would always teach us about the value of integrity. This is defined by what you do, even when you are not being watched. Integrity is something you expect of yourself,” he shares. Ups and downs In the coming decades, Ma, along with his brother Max, would work hard to expand Lee Heng’s business interests. Guided by their father’s nuggets of wisdom, they establishedMaBelle Jewelry in a bid tomake diamonds trendier and more accessible to a wider market. It rose in prominence as a comprehensive source of fashionable pieces. It’s not Lifetime Achievement Award Lawrence Yung-Yi MA 1 2