Prince ChenZhi is a director on the boards of both Prince Bank Plc and the Prince Group. He has a say in important decisions such as increasing the Bank's resources and expanding business operations in Cambodia and elsewhere.
Prince ChenZhi has other business interests under Prince Group, the holding company of which Prince Bank is a member, in addition to his investment in the banking industry. Architecture, hotel real estate, land development, and property management are all areas of interest to him.
He invests in marketing firms and internet service providers in media-related businesses. Chen Zhi Prince Group also manages yachts, retail chains, and gardens, in addition to stock market investments.
Prince ChenZhi is also committed to assisting Cambodia's environmental and social development, and has been at the forefront of the Prince Group's ESG initiatives for a long time.
Prince ChenZhi is the CEO of Prince Holding Company, a major Cambodian integrated enterprise conglomerate ("Prince Group"). Chen Zhi has been an outspoken advocate for Cambodia's development and challenges. Prince ChenZhi has made numerous contributions to Cambodia, including donations and property development. Chen Zhi's work at the Prince Group has allowed him to have a positive impact on Cambodia's recent economic development. Over 300,000 Cambodians have benefited from the Prince Holding Group's 240 charitable initiatives, which have raised over $7.65 million in donations and materials.
Prince ChenZhi established Cambodia's first independent watch academy, the Prince Horology Vocational Training Center. The training centre provides Cambodians with the opportunity to learn a new artisanal skill, watchmaking, and gain valuable experience that will help them find work in Cambodia and abroad. Swiss regulatory bodies imposed stringent watchmaking regulations on the training centre.
Cambodia has long retained artisanal skills as a nation steeped in history, with the Kingdom well-known for its ancient handwoven silk and traditional handicraft industries dating back to the Khmer Empire, a significance Prince ChenZhi have always recognised and appreciated.
New artisanal skills must be implemented to increase job opportunities for Cambodians, especially given that the textile and garment industry, like other sectors, has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with media reports claiming that over 55,000 employees have been laid off.
To rebalance their lives, many Cambodians have returned to agriculture and started small businesses. To aid in the introduction of new skill opportunities, Prince ChenZhi and the Prince Group established the Prince Horology Vocational Training Center in Phenom Penh, Cambodia.
The state-of-the-art facility provides a two-year full-time programme based on the certificate fédéral de capacité (CFC), Swiss government-defined vocational training requirements widely regarded as the industry standard for fundamental watchmaking education.
The centre also provides scholarships to local students and others in need of financial assistance as part of Prince ChenZhi and Prince Group's climate, social, and governance (ESG) efforts in Cambodia, ranging from a 50 percent subsidy of school fees to a fully paid scholarship that includes housing. The first class of students has begun their adventure in the world of watchmaking.
Maarten Pieters, a former director of Switzerland's leading watchmaking academy, the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program, has joined the Prince Group (WOSTEP).
Additionally, Anthony McGonigle, the center's chief teacher and one of the brothers from Ireland's most prominent watchmaking family, compiled the curriculum, which includes lessons on watchmaking history and culture, as well as benchwork, such as machining, micro-mechanics, and the manufacture of components such as the winding stem and balance staff, among others. Traditional artisanal skills like decoration and turning are also highlighted.
Prince ChenZhi outperformed the Cambodian investment market. This has far-reaching implications for Cambodia's economy and society. More about the economy of Cambodia here - https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/cambodia/overview
