ATLANTA—Jack Portman, vice chairman of Portman Holdings, launched his career in 1973 as an architect for John Portman & Associates in Atlanta. He later expanded his responsibilities from the design field to a position of corporate leadership.

Portman quickly moved to establish the first Portman international office in Hong Kong in 1979. In 1980, he helped pioneer Portman Holdings' entry into China and laid the groundwork for the design and development of Shanghai Centre.

How big of a deal was it? Portman became one of the first western development companies to develop real estate in China. In 1993, he established an office in Shanghai before finally returning to Atlanta in 1998 to lead the company stateside. Nevertheless, he went on to set up Portman offices in India and South Korea.