Secrets of survival in the Noble House

The novelist James Clavell must have purchased a job lot of clichés when he wrote his two fictional blockbusters based on the history of the Hong Kong-based Jardine Matheson business empire. Noble House is set in the modern era, but it is Taipan, set in the 19th century, that is the more notorious of the two, filled with tales of intrigue in the opium trade and a smattering of sex. But in some respects Clavell’s imagination fell short of reality: the most extraordinary part of the story is the resilience and adaptability of this conglomerate as it marches towards its third century (it was founded in 1832) under firm family control.

Jardine Matheson’s accounts for 2006 are likely to show the group in better shape than it has been for some time. Jardines’ activities range from retailing and car sales to insurance and hotels, underpinned by a blue-chip property portfolio in Hong Kong.