McCombs Alum Experiences Business Victory At F1
Thousands of fans raced to the Circuit of the Americas racetrack Nov. 16-18 for Austin's first Formula One Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton may have won the race, but McCombs alumnus Peter Chan, BBA '94, experienced a business victory of his own. Chan is the managing director of Lighthouse Technologies, the Hong Kong-based company that manufactured the LED video screens around the Circuit of the Americas racetrack. Lighthouse installed 21 LED screens: two in the grandstands, three in the pit and 16 around the rest of the circuit. Chan says the opportunity to work with Texas Star, Lighthouse's U.S.-based display provider, created a better experience for spectators (including himself) through high-tech signage and video.
"The partnership with the circuit brings a new standard of fan immersion to the world of motor racing," Chan said. "…The screens brought great visual clarity, color reproduction, minimal time delay for livecast and excellent reliability. All of these are very important to maximize the enjoyment and excitement of the race for spectators."
Chan moved to Hong Kong after his graduation from UT because of the booming technology and communications industry in China and around Asia. He joined Lighthouse in 2006 and became managing director in 2008. He said Senior Lecturer Herb Miller, his professor turned mentor and friend, helped him achieve his success and kept him connected with the McCombs School of Business.
Miller, who has known Chan for over 20 years, said that his former student is an exemplary representative for McCombs in the worldwide marketplace. "The fact that Red McCombs himself contributed so significantly to the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix race, and Peter's unique product involvement, speaks volumes for the global reach of our business school," Miller said.
"The bonds formed from the intensive learning at McCombs will last a lifetime, providing friendships, contacts and networks that serve me well in an increasingly inter-reliant world of business," Chan said. "McCombs encouraged me to think differently, to look at operations in a new way and to relentlessly question and challenge. It also had a significant impact on how I think, decide, act and relate to real-time current business challenges. It has definitely helped me to raise my bar and achieve more in a global context."
