FIVE MINUTES WITH

Five minutes with Peter G. de Krassel

Cheyelene Fontanilla speaks to the co-founder of Pets Central Asia ahead of our Pet-friendly Market

Ahead of our Pet-Friendly Market later this month, we sat down with Peter G. de Krassel, a man of many titles. While you might know his name from Pets Central Asia, a veterinary practice founded alongside widely respected veterinary surgeon Dr Pauline Taylor, de Krassel has worn plenty of hats in his lifetime, including strategic analyst, contemporary social commentator and author. Though, there has been one recurring theme at play throughout his career. De Krassel is a particularly skilled international businessman. As a result, he has founded plenty of companies and organisations. Having studied politics and law, he founded his own law firm, established a leading distributor of foreign television, film and radio programmes and formed an international business and political strategy consultancy.

When he was approached by Dr Pauline Taylor about setting up Pets Central Asia, he came at it with the goal of building a veterinary network. De Krassel wanted to build something that was, as he puts it, “more than just a local clinic making money.” As a business counselor, he knew that their practice had to have a welfare component. “We had to develop a plan to expand into Greater China and ideally, globally.”

With his business acumen and Dr Taylor’s impeccable reputation and track record, they’ve created a veterinary practice that truly stands out. With five strategically located hospitals across Hong Kong and world-class veterinarians from Australia, England, India, Scotland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and beyond, their practice has become a truly well-rounded, go-to company for pet owners. “Pets Central established a Wellness and Activities Center on the roof of its Sai Kung premises for dogs to exercise after surgery and socialise with others,” he says, proving just how well they’ve planned for the moving parts of a pet parent’s needs.

Despite the extent of his experience, de Krassel has still had to adapt like everyone else living in the Covid era. “With people being fired, unemployed and many leaving Hong Kong, one has to adjust their business and marketing strategies accordingly. I find the pandemic to be a pain in the butt, to be honest,” he says. “But it’s much better than what’s happening in the US, UK, Europe and around the world. I’m glad to be in Hong Kong.”

As a Sai Kung resident, his affection for the city doesn’t end there. De Krassel loves the community he is a part of. “Sai Kung has the feel of a laid back fishing village, like the many found along the Meditaranian, California and Baja, Mexico coastlines.” When asked to explain why he’s so proud to call the area his home, he simply responded, “fresh seafood, clean air and water to swim, paddleboard, kayak, dive, sail and engage in many boating and water activities – and most importantly, the friendly people.” All in all, his thoughts on Sai Kung can be boiled down to a single phrase: “A great place to hang out that is very animal-friendly.” Well put, de Krassel.

Check out our Pet-Friendly Pop-up at Pets Central on March 20 at 11am-6pm. For more details, head to hongkongliving.com