Young Leaders Programme: Mentors Scheme
Two respected and experienced members of the international business community have become the first members of the GIFT's Mentors Scheme.

They are international energy consultant Brian Anderson, formerly of global oil and gas giant Royal Dutch/Shell, and Phil Gaffney, formerly of Hong Kong's MTR Corporation.

Brian Anderson, left, and Phil Gaffney: first Mentors

Mr Anderson has spent 34 years in the energy industry, mostly in the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, and for the most part in developing countries.

During the last 20 years at Shell, he was involved in managing businesses in many countries, which required him to maintain contact with heads of state, in particular as chief executive in Malaysia, Nigeria and China. Mr Anderson’s skills in several languages have developed through his extensive and long years of work in Asia, Africa and Europe.

On retiring from Shell, Mr Anderson established his own energy consultancy, which operates out of Hong Kong and France.

Mr Gaffney has spent the past 28 years at Hong Kong’s metro developer and operator, the MTR Corporation.

A railway signalling engineer by profession, Mr Gaffney rose to hold some of the most influential and important positions within the MTR Corporation, including acting chief executive officer, operations director, and managing director of operations.

He was instrumental in developing the corporation’s business overseas, in particular in the Chinese mainland, where the MTR Corporation is involved in developing or consulting on several rail and rail-property development projects.

With their business knowledge, practical experience working at the highest levels of industry, and rich network of connections built over the years, GIFT Mentors make themselves available to up-and-coming business executives who take part in GIFT’s Young Leaders Programme.