That period also coincided with the development of the personal computer industry. It was a very interesting time for Macau -- thus in 1988 I established a business together with a local entrepreneur. It was the Division of Computer Science under the Macau Business Centre. The timing was right and we had the right strategy to raise awareness in technology development locally and attract commercial investments for the territory.

That's how it all started. Since then I've focused on promoting and raising awareness of technology. Some of the initiatives with this company included the "First Seminar of Computer Aided Design (CAD)" and the "Seminar in Advanced Technology" for the Manufacturing Industry and Construction/Engineering in Macau, in 1989.

It was through this business that I established a relationship with IBM and helped them to extend their presence in Macau. I set up a company called CSSL (Commercial Software Services Limited), which is 25% owned by IBM. It was IBM's leading reseller of the midrange AS/400 solutions in Asia. The company was headquartered in Hong Kong, but we had offices all over Asia. I ran the company in Macau until March 1998. The company was subsequently acquired, in 1999, by Australia-based Powerlan, now named Clarity.

CWHK: How did you shift from being a reseller to become a CIO at CTM?

RM: From 1998 to until the end of 1999, I worked as an independent consultant and engaged Macau University for a very interesting project: conducting a feasibility study on the development of the local tech industry. The project also aimed at establishing an organization to bridge the gap between the local academic and commercial worlds.