Sands Macao Celebrates 20 Years in Macao
A five-part series on the growth of Sands China since 2004
As the city’s first international integrated tourism and leisure enterprise, Sands China has been rooted in Macao for 20 years now, since the opening of Sands Macao in 2004. After introducing Las Vegas Sands’ successful integrated resort model to Macao – combining entertainment, retail, MICE, food & beverage, and accommodation all under one roof – the company continues to invest and actively contribute to the development of Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure.
As Macao’s largest private employer, Sands China has developed a professional team of over 26,000 team members, while creating 1,400 new types of jobs and 90,000 diverse job opportunities for the city. The company has always committed itself to elevating local talent. The number of Macao residents promoted to management positions continues to rise. The percentage of local team members in management positions is at 92% currently, after starting out at 20% in 2004. A full 45% of Sands China’s management professionals are women, highlighting the company’s efforts over the years to create a workplace with equality and acceptance while nurturing diverse talent. Meanwhile, Sands China actively promotes horizontal development that provides team members with opportunities to explore new career paths. This includes the introduction of the My Way Program in 2016 – the first career development program of its kind in Macao to be implemented on such a large scale, which has attracted participation from 3,000 team members and counting.
By the end of 2024, over 15,000 team members will have reached their 10-year service anniversary milestones; among them, more than 6,600 and 1,500 will have served the company for more than 15 and 20 years, respectively. All of this testifies to the company giving back to the local community that it calls home and developing Macao’s human resources.
Continuously optimising benefits
Sands China has a team rich with diverse cultures. Respecting cultural differences and taking care of the needs of different groups is an essential aspect of the company’s work culture. For this reason, Sands China is ever-determined to provide comprehensive benefits by both introducing and continuously optimising various team member facilities and services to take care of their needs and create a harmonious and positive workplace. Accordingly, Sands China deeply values team members’ physical and mental health and is committed to boosting their well-being. Some measures taken include introducing the first 24-hour team member clinic of its kind in Macao to raise awareness of occupational safety and health, organising various parent-child activities to extend benefits beyond the workplace for team members’ families and to encourage a lifestyle of work-life balance. In addition to paid annual leave, team members are able to carry forward their unused sick leave to the following calendar year – another first in the local industry.
In addition, the company has continually launched new benefits for team members, especially in creating a fair and secure workplace for female team members in protecting their rights. For instance, the company offers comprehensive support to postnatal mothers; during the first 30 calendar days after resuming work, postnatal mothers can reduce their daily working hours by one hour and shift workers can also enjoy fixed working hours.
Sparing no effort to nurture talent
Sands China deeply understands the importance of nurturing talent, especially when facing an ever-changing society. In 2008, Sands China opened the Adelson Advanced Education at The Venetian Macao as a dedicated training venue; and through cooperating with local and international universities and government entities, the company created the Sands China Academy as a platform to help foster professional talent in the Macao community. The number of training hours increases year by year; in 2023, each team member received an average of 88.3 training hours, higher than the 40.6-hour standard set by the Association for Talent Development (ATD).
“A successful company is built upon exceptional team members. Throughout the years, the unwavering commitment of over 26,000 employees at all levels has played a vital role in the company’s current achievements. Among them, more than 1,200 founding team members have remained dedicated to the company since the inauguration of Sands Macao, braving the challenges and celebrating the triumphs of the past two decades together.”
Dr. Wilfred Wong executive vice chairman of Sands China Ltd.
In line with the Macao government’s policy of “building Macao with talent,” Sands China has gradually replaced traditional teaching methods with advanced, innovative measures. By working closely with local and international tertiary institutions, government bureaus and various educational institutions, a series of diverse, high-quality and efficient training programs have been launched, covering several areas such as language, technological applications, production information, premium service, and leadership. This has succeeded in attracting the younger generation to join the tourism industry and facilitate Macao’s development as a tourism education training base in the Greater Bay Area. Over 500 people have participated in such training and over 440 of them have successfully graduated. To date, the company has established eight sub-academies under the Sands China Academy in line with its operational needs. Industry representatives are invited to share their experiences and professional insights, thereby creating a well-rounded developmental platform for team members and industry professionals in the Greater Bay Area to enhance their diverse development in a variety of fields.
What the founders say:
“Looking back at the past 20 years, I have witnessed the company’s contribution in introducing richer and more diverse entertainment, rewriting the history of entertainment development in Macao. Today, the company boasts two arenas and four theatres, providing world-class performance venues with over 26,000 seats. The company offers a pleasant work environment with challenging tasks, and my colleagues feel very fulfilled.”
Manuela Palmer, Senior Manager of Entertainment Operations
“I vividly remember the day Sands Macao opened, and all my colleagues were prepared and eager for the smooth commencement of the grand opening ceremony. My role at the time was to manage the crowd flow, and facing an unprecedented number of guests queuing for entry, I felt quite nervous. I am grateful for such a rare experience, as it has greatly assisted me in making future work decisions.”
Marco Che, Security Duty Manager
“By 2018, I was promoted to vice president, experiencing seven promotions within 14 years. I believe that the multiple promotions were made possible by Sands China’s prominent role in the gaming liberalisation of Macao and the rapid development of the industry, which provided more opportunities for team members. Additionally, I am grateful for the guidance and support from my superiors, who recognised my abilities and strengths and assigned me suitable positions.”
Raymond Ho, Vice President of VIP Gaming Operations
“I spent 18 years in the gaming sector and transferred horizontally to the facilities department in 2022, where I currently hold the position of Chief Engineer. It was during the pandemic that I transitioned to a different field, through the company’s horizontal development programme “My Way.” Not only was I able to learn new skills and broaden my horizons, but the new position requires interaction with different colleagues, effectively enhancing my communication skills and interpersonal relationships.”
Terry Cheong, Chief Engineer
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