• Malcolm Wood, now 43, co-founded Maximal Concepts, the group behind Mott 32, a modern spin on high-end Cantonese cuisine.
• After launching in Hong Kong, Mott 32 has expanded globally to cities including Las Vegas, Singapore, Dubai, and Vancouver.
• Wood says that extreme sports have helped fuel his success.

For some, clarity comes in moments of stillness. For Malcolm Wood, it's usually the opposite.

"A casual morning for me would include going up 1,000 meters into the mountains, speed flying back to the field in front of my house, and hopping on a phone call by 9 a.m.," Wood told Business Insider.

Wood is best known for his work with Mott 32, a Chinese fine-dining brand recognized for its striking design and modern spin on traditional dishes. The first location opened in Hong Kong in 2014 and has since expanded to cities like Las Vegas, Singapore, and Vancouver — earning global buzz both for the food and the decor.

These days, the British-Chinese entrepreneur splits his time between Hong Kong, where he co-founded Maximal Concepts, the restaurant group behind Mott 32, and France, where he enjoys extreme sports near his home in the French Alps.

Wood, 43, says that adventure and extreme sports have taught him about risk management.

"They demand an intense level of focus, almost like entering a flow state, where distractions disappear, and precision takes over," he said. In some ways, it's a form of active meditation. "I'm constantly pushing limits while staying fully present."

East, West, East

Born in Taipei to a Taiwanese mom and an English dad, Wood spent the early '80s in Hong Kong. Because his stepfather was in the airline industry, the family frequently moved to new countries. By the time he started university, he had lived in eight countries.

At 18, as an art history student at the University of Bristol in England, Wood met Matt Reid. In their first year of school, the two launched Liquid Promotions, an events company.

Wood said they hosted parties for up to 5,000 people while they were in college. "The money was very good for a student and helped to shape how I approached entrepreneurship," he said.

They have been business partners ever since.

Reid has compared Wood's business acumen to his passion for extreme sports. "You map out your plan, your teammates, your resources, your skills, and then execute this plan," Reid told BI.

The great expansion

After getting a master's in finance at the University of London, Wood moved to Hong Kong, where he and Reid started Maximal Concepts. After a few failed attempts, the hospitality group opened the first Mott 32.

Now, Maximal Concepts has a team of about 700 people.

The Hong Kong food writer Gloria Chung told BI that the restaurant stood out from the beginning, adding that a decade back, there was nothing like it: "Mott 32 was one of the first fine-dining modern Chinese restaurants that embraced a more Westernized setting, offering a refreshing take on Cantonese cuisine."

From the start, Mott 32 stood out by bridging the gap between luxurious fine dining, often associated with Western cuisines, and the no-frills dim sum parlors that dominated the streets of Hong Kong.

Over the last 10 years, the Cantonese restaurant has expanded to nine locations and nine more are scheduled to open in the coming years, including in London, Melbourne, and Los Angeles.

These days, Mott 32 has become synonymous with upscale Chinese dining — a go-to spot where execs take clients to impress. The Hong Kong flagship is tucked in the basement of a historic bank building.

The restaurant has a dramatic interior — plush leather, moody lighting, and a Shanghai-industrial flair. Popular dishes include the applewood-roasted Peking duck and pork and black truffle dumplings, along with blinged-out cocktails.

In 2018, the first US restaurant opened in Las Vegas.

Prices at the Vegas venue now range from $13 for spring rolls to around $15 for four pieces of dim sum. They can also go up to $268 for A5 Japanese Miyazaki wagyu with black bean paste and $598 for braised dried abalone.

Maximal Concepts also opened The Aubrey — an izakaya at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. It was ranked 10th on the 2024 Asia's 50 Best Bars list.

Last year, Sunset Hospitality Group, a Dubai-based lifestyle hospitality company, acquired a majority stake in Maximal Concepts.

Wood says this will help to accelerate the company's growth and infrastructure. "The idea is that we join Sunset's IPO in a few years where we have a significant contribution to the offering."

Antonio Gonzalez, the CEO and Group Chairman of Sunset Hospitality Group, told BI that Maximal Concepts' hospitality approach fits well with SHG's values and growth goals. "This investment provides us with additional operating and creative firepower," he said in a statement.

Asian origins

When it comes to upscale Asian global dining empires, Mott 32 is in competitive company among the likes of Hakkasan, Zuma, and Nobu.

But while Hakkasan and Zuma opened in London, and Nobu started in New York City, Wood takes pride in Mott 32's Asian origins.

"Mott 32 is one of the few luxury Asian brands to have originated from Asia," he said. "We're really proud that it originated in Hong Kong."

The restaurant helped to give a different perspective on Chinese food, said Chung, the food writer: "Many people often think Chinese food doesn't deserve to be priced at a premium, yet Mott 32 played a pivotal role in changing that perception."

Wood chose to base his F&B business in Hong Kong largely because of the opportunities. "It really is an entrepreneurial city with influences from all around the world," he said. "The city just works — super efficient, based on UK law, and some of the best global tax in the world for corporations."

His roots play an important role, too. "My mom still lives there, so it's always felt like home," he said.

Challenges along the way

After 25 years in business, Wood says he has no regrets. "When you're younger, you trust everyone until they burn you. Then you start learning," he said.

During COVID-19 and the Hong Kong protests, he had to close down and sell multiple venues. "I wouldn't be the business person I am today without these lessons."

His advice to his younger self?

"Have a thick skin. Don't worry about what others think. The right partnership adds value; the wrong one drags you down — choose wisely."

The power of planning ahead

Balancing multiple ventures while prioritizing family — he and his wife, Sandra, have three kids, now 21, 10, and 5 — has taught Wood the power of planning ahead.

"I tell my managers: spend the first 20% of your week organizing the rest. Otherwise, that 80% turns into 200%."

Wood doesn't stick to set working hours but plans his week every Sunday at 5 a.m. "If you want to make time for your family, you can. It's all about optimizing your schedule," he said.

Every year, he sets a goal to learn something, from obtaining his yacht master's certification in the Mediterranean to earning a private pilot's license in Spain and France.

This year, he's focusing on learning French. He also plans to complete specialized training so that he's qualified to land a plane in the Alps.

"If you let life slip away and keep a to-do list for retirement, that's the wrong approach entirely," he said. "Your life should enable you to do the things you love."

• Ralph Beale never felt at home while growing up in the UK.
• Originally drawn to Thailand by Muay Thai, he later moved to Koh Samui with his wife to raise a family.
• Now 60, with two grown kids, Beale credits the island for giving him a life he doesn't need a break from.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ralph Beale, 60, the British-born founder of Lamai Muay Thai Camp in Koh Samui, Thailand. His words have been edited for length and clarity.

I never felt at home in the West and always knew I wanted to leave.

I was born in the UK with mixed Asian-European heritage. During a trip to Koh Samui in my 30s, I could tell that Thailand was where I belonged.

Now, 27 years later, I've built a life here — helped grow Muay Thai internationally from the motherland itself, raised a family, and witnessed the island's transformation.

I have no regrets.

A future in Thailand

By the early '80s, I had found my fix: Thailand, specifically Muay Thai.

At the time, few in the West knew about the brutal elegance of Thai boxing, and I was hooked. I bounced between the UK and Thailand, training, learning, and absorbing everything I could.

The country had a magnetism I couldn't shake, and by 1998, I stopped trying. I opened a tiny Muay Thai camp on Koh Samui's Lamai Beach back when there were more palm trees than tourists. For a few years, my time was split between England and Thailand.

My wife, who had initially been one of my Muay Thai students in the UK before joining a training trip to Thailand, had fallen for the island just as I had.

After getting married on the island in 2003, we agreed that our future wasn't in the UK but in Thailand.

Raising kids in Samui

When we moved to Samui in early 2004 our son was 6 months old.

Raising kids in Samui meant giving them something Western city life couldn't — space, freedom, and an outdoor existence. My son and daughter, now in their 20s, had childhoods filled with sun and sea, as well as a Cambridge education.

I live in Lamai with my family, in a house I built 18 years ago, nestled in a coconut grove. With my background in construction, I designed it as a Thai-modern, Western-style pool house — five bedrooms upstairs, two on the ground floor.

Paradise discovered

Of course, nothing stays untouched. In the late '90s, the arrival of a private airport on Samui changed everything, making it far easier for tourists to reach the island.

What was once an "if you know, you know" island became a fixture on the global travel circuit. The beaches still glow, and the sea still shimmers, but Samui has evolved — it had to.

More expats arrived, more high-end resorts opened, and with them came that creeping feeling that paradise, once discovered, never quite stays the same.

The "White Lotus effect" hasn't arrived yet

Then came "The White Lotus."

If the Leonardo DiCaprio-fueled frenzy around "The Beach" — released 25 years ago — did wonders (and damage) to Maya Bay, a cove on an island southeast of Phuket, what would HBO's glossy, satirical take on island luxury do to Samui?

The short answer: it's too early to tell. There's chatter. There's curiosity. But the real impact won't hit until the next high season rolls around — typically between December and April.

If handled right, it could be a boost. If handled wrong — well, I've seen what unchecked tourism does to fragile ecosystems. Let's hope we've learned our lesson.

The party scene on Samui has always been a draw, though it's never reached the wild heights of nearby places like Phuket or Pattaya. The island has its share of lively beach clubs, late-night bars, and, of course, the legendary Full Moon Party just a boat ride away on Koh Pha-ngan — a monthly spectacle of neon, fire dancers, and thousands of revelers dancing till dawn.

One of these parties was featured in an episode of "The White Lotus."

If the show attracts a fresh wave of visitors, let's hope they come for more than cocktails and Instagram shots.

Despite the changes, Samui still has something rare: restraint. There are building restrictions; nothing taller than a coconut tree. There's a commitment to keeping nature as part of the island's identity. It's more expensive than before, but it hasn't lost itself.

I never want to leave

I've built a life in Thailand that makes sense. I'm mortgage-free and work because I want to, not because I have to.

Muay Thai, once my passion, became my contribution to a sport that's now globally recognized. I still travel, but Samui is my constant.

If I had stayed in the UK, my life would have been different — probably more financially stable, but maybe not as fulfilling.

At some point, you realize what really matters. For me, that was quality of life. I was lucky enough to make that decision early.

I value my health over wealth. I've done well enough to look after myself, and these days, my focus isn't on my bank balance. I still work, but much of it is voluntary.

Samui gave me a life I don't need a break from — that, to me, is real success.

• Bill Bensley, now 65, left the US and moved to Asia shortly after graduation.
• The architect and designer has built over 200 hotels, including three featured in the latest season of "The White Lotus."
• Bensley says he's unsure he could have built a comparable portfolio back in the US.

Some careers are shaped by chance. For Bill Bensley, it all started on graduation day in 1984, when a classmate mentioned he was moving to Singapore.

"It sounded so exotic, I asked if I could go too," he told Business Insider.

That spontaneous decision launched a forty-year architecture career in which Bensley has built over 200 hotels in 30 countries. That includes nine projects for Four Seasons hotels, one of which — Four Seasons Koh Samui — is featured in the third season of the massively popular HBO series "The White Lotus."

The odder, the better

Bensley's design mantra is simple: "The odder, the better."

His designs are known for being whimsical, theatrical, and deeply immersive.

At Cambodia's Shinta Mani Wild — a jungle retreat that opened in 2019 — Bensley and his team installed a 400-meter zipline over the jungle that transports guests to luxury tents.

At the InterContinental Khao Yai in Thailand, about 120 miles northeast of Bangkok, his team turned abandoned train carriages into hotel suites.

From farm to fame

Bensley was born in California and grew up on a small farm, raising bees, quails, and chickens and growing vegetables and mushrooms. His family spent weekends traveling in a trailer, with summer trips turning into cross-country adventures.

"I was lucky to learn how to survive in the wild," he says. "That shaped everything I do."

Bensley earned a master's in landscape architecture from California State Polytechnic University, followed by a degree in urban design from Harvard. On his graduation day in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he didn't have a job lined up. "I couldn't even fathom a career in hospitality design back then," he said.

But he followed his classmate's advice and traveled to Asia.

Competition was scarce

Soon after arriving in Singapore, Bensley landed a job with an American landscape architecture firm. His first major project was the Bali Hyatt.

At 29, he set up Bensley Studio in a Bangkok parking garage. "In 1989, there were not very many landscape architects in town," he said.

His portfolio expanded quickly, and after a few years, Bensley received an offer to design a resort in Hawaii. "The Four Seasons Hualalai was my breakthrough project on the Big Island of Hawaii," he said. Construction for the resort on the Kona-Kohala coast began in 1993.

In 2000, Bensley's company landed another commission with the company, this time to build Four Seasons Koh Samui. The site was covered with hundreds of coconut trees, some over 50 years old. "When the hotel was finished, all 856 trees were still standing," he said.

Today, that resort, featuring villas with private pools nestled into the tropical jungle overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, is in the spotlight as one of the backdrops for the third season of HBO's "The White Lotus."

He has high praise for the show's look: "Some of the garden cinematography is out of this world and looks even better than real life," he said.

Monkeys used to harvest coconuts on the site where the resort now stands.

"So the monkey statues you see in 'The White Lotus' are my designs that pay homage to the agricultural history of the island," he said.

In 2023, Mike White, the writer and director of "The White Lotus," spent time in Thailand, scouting locations and studying Thai culture. Bensley says they became friends.

Production booked the resort out for two months last year for filming.

"Mike has now filmed at three of my hotels in Southern Thailand," Bensley said, referencing the Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort and Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas.

Designs inspired by Asia

Bensley says his travels across Asia — from Thailand to Cambodia and Indonesia — have shaped his designs.

"Today, I think I understand Southeast Asia really well," Bensley said. He said that learning to speak Thai and Indonesian has helped him navigate the different cultures and communicate his design vision more effectively.

Environment plays a big role, too. Tropical locations give designers the opportunity to blur the boundary between natural landscape and architecture, said Alex Yuen, a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

"Outside of Hawaii, where he has worked, there are not many locations in the States that would match the environment that he thrives in," Yuen told BI.

Cost is also a factor.

"Given the amount of ornaments and details found in the designs, you simply will not get that sort of deal if one were to develop properties in the US," Yuen said.

Bensley isn't sure he could have built a portfolio comparable to what he has amassed in Asia if he had stayed in the US.

"In my experience, working in the USA is so very much more restrictive and cost-focused," Bensley said.

Not slowing down

Bensley has no regrets about moving abroad. "I'm glad I made the bold move to work in Asia right after school," he said. "I'm happy with the life I've built."

Despite his packed schedule, Bensley knows how to make time for the things he loves. He paints, tends to his garden, enjoys fishing, and loves to travel. He lives in Bangkok with Jirachai Rengthong, his partner of over 35 years, and five Jack Russells.

He always travels with a sketchbook. "Sketching is the key to understanding architecture or any kind of space," he said. "If you cannot sketch it, you are not understanding it. iPhones are useless as a learning tool."

Bensley, now 65, has no plans to leave Thailand or stop working. This year alone, he's juggling over 10 new projects, with hotel openings spanning the UAE, China, Puerto Rico, Turkey, and India.

"I am never going to retire, as I have the most interesting job in the world."

• Lindsay Jang moved to Hong Kong 15 years ago and has launched five businesses.
• Despite not all of Jang's ventures being successful, she says she has learned something from each.
• At 43, the entrepreneur and mom says she's finally found ways to disconnect and find work-life balance.

Lindsay Jang moved to Hong Kong 15 years ago and has kept herself busy, very busy.

Since relocating, she's launched five businesses — including a one-Michelin-starred restaurant and a workout technique listed on Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. Now, at 43, she balances her time between running her companies and raising her two kids.

Born in Alberta, Canada, Jang is the eldest of three sisters. Her dad was a civil engineer, and her mom worked as a special needs teacher. A stroke of luck changed her family's path when her parents won a gold brick, valued at 100,000 Canadian dollars, in a local carnival lottery in 1981, the year she was born.

Shortly after, when her dad got laid off, he invested in a Chinese-Canadian restaurant in Sherwood Park, near her hometown. Her dad went on to run the restaurant, and her mom decided to be a stay-at-home mom. "Growing up, the restaurant was a huge part of our lives and really shaped who I am today," she told Business Insider.

Jang struggled to find the right career path. "I had scholarships for science and French, and I explored a few different paths — science, art school, digital publishing, and business management — but none of them fully resonated with me. I didn't graduate from any of those programs," she said.

She dropped out of college when she decided she wanted to become an actor.

She stopped in NYC before moving to Hong Kong

In 2002, Jang left Canada and moved to New York City to study acting. She took on a job as a floor captain at Nobu Fifty Seven, and began contributing to the restaurant's special events department. In 2009, at 27, she relocated to Hong Kong with her then-romantic partner, Matt Abergel, who had accepted a job offer as an executive chef.

They had two kids during their relationship before separating in 2011. Despite the split, they remain close. "We're best friends, co-parents, and business partners," Jang said.

In 2011, Jang said they raised around $500,000 to open Yardbird, the restaurant that went on to earn a Michelin star in 2021. It was followed up with Ronin — another izakaya-style dining bar — in 2012.

Jang said the primary investor in both restaurants had been a regular customer of theirs in New York. "He ate at Masa, where Matt worked, every week and would occasionally come to Nobu Fifty Seven," she said.

The team managed to find their rhythm at Yardbird early on. "We hit capacity within just a few weeks thanks to word-of-mouth, and once the media discovered us, it brought in a steady stream of guests," Jang said. "We didn't rely on traditional PR or marketing — instead, we gave out stickers and T-shirts to build the brand."

Social media was still an early concept — Instagram had just launched the year before — and it didn't play much of a role in the hype. Jang did, however, face challenges online in the early stages, when she was sharing the restaurant's no reservations and no service charge policies. "People didn't like those ideas and weren't shy about voicing their concerns," she said.

The restaurant has continued to draw in crowds over the past 13 years, despite the policies. "The main draw is without doubt the 20-plus types of yakitori skewers made with local 'three-yellow' chicken from beak to tail, grilled over binchotan charcoal," per the Michelin website. An extensive Japanese whisky collection has also added to its appeal.

After the couple split, they went back to being friends. "Between sharing businesses and kids, we take pride in giving each other the space and time to do the things that we need to do to be happy," Abergel, co-owner of the restaurant, told BI. "Things are pretty great most of the time, and when things are hard, we know that the foundation we have as friends is stronger than whatever we are facing."

Not all of Jang's ventures have been successful

Jang has also seen some of her companies fail.

Sunday's Grocery, which started as an extension of the Yardbird brand, opened in 2014 and closed in 2016. "We took over an existing business to test the concept, but the location wasn't ideal, and the costs were too high to make it sustainable," Jang said. "It was a valuable experiment, and while it didn't last, it taught us to prioritize scalability and the importance of location."

Jang went on to launch Sunday's Spirit in 2017, before wrapping it up in 2023 due to challenges with margins, certain team dynamics, and working within Japan's highly specific market structure. "Both of these ventures taught us that not every concept needs to be forever," she said. "Letting go of ideas that no longer resonate or fit the bigger picture is OK. The key is to embrace adaptability while staying true to the vision."

She continues to run Hecho, a creative agency she launched in 2017. Previous clients include Hongkong Land, a property investment company and Swire, a conglomerate working in sectors ranging from aviation and beverages to healthcare.

Finding balance and staying healthy

In the past, Jang found it difficult to find a work-life balance. "I don't put rules on myself when it comes to disconnecting because my work and my life are about being connected," Jang said in an interview with Compare Retreats in 2020. However, more recently, she has found ways to decompress.

"I've been making a concerted effort to disconnect more," she told BI. Flexibility plays a central role in her time management. "I run my entire life from my phone and computer, which allows me the freedom to manage my schedule. So even though I'm technically always plugged in, I still make time for myself and my family," she added.

Her daily routine now includes a 20- to 45-minute session in the infrared sauna. She said it was a trip to HigherDOSE in New York almost 10 years ago that got her interested in the heat. "It was intense, but it felt productive. Since I had space at home, it made more sense to own one than to pay by the minute elsewhere."

A few years after the sauna was installed, during COVID-19, Jang transformed her TV room into a workout studio. "The space was better used as a place where I could sweat and move every day," she said.

Her most recent lifestyle adjustment was to stop drinking. "I cut alcohol out of my life over a year and a half ago, which was significant given my F&B background," she said. "I was nervous about what social situations would be like without alcohol, but I've found that my life has improved in every way."

Her career has also shifted toward fitness

Four years ago, she co-launched Family Form, a workout technique and studio in Hong Kong. She said the mat-based workout aims to use movement and infrared heat to strengthen and balance the body.

"People connect with it on a deeper level because it's approachable yet challenging, and it becomes part of their daily routine," she said.

Classes are often at full capacity with waiting lists. On Google reviews, nearly all of its ratings are five stars.

Expanding to mainland China is part of the plan and has come with hurdles. "We are building our China community for when we launch in Shanghai in a few months, and it's been interesting to navigate the approach in such a different market," she said. "It's been a grassroots effort mostly, and we're so grateful for the word-of-mouth support from our community."

In July 2024, Family Form received support for the directory listing of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. The listing states, "It's intense but also totally cathartic. "

"Someone from their team reached out to us," Jang said, regarding the posting, adding that they did not pay for the listing. "It was purely an organic connection." A representative for Goop did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

In November, the company launched classes in Manila and will start in Shanghai in early 2025.

As for her future, Jang hasn't planned too far ahead. "I prefer to remain flexible and open to opportunities as they arise," she said. Jang said she has a few projects in the works, including a new wellness product brand that will launch next year.

"While Hong Kong will always be home, I plan to spend more time in a more relaxed environment once my kids are in university," she said. "Running multiple businesses has taught me the importance of balancing ambition with sustainability. The biggest life lesson I've learned is that success comes from staying true to your vision while remaining flexible enough to adapt to change."