Timothy McNally has seen more in his lifetime than many of us ever will. As the executive finally decides to take time away from the spotlight, he sat down with AGB to reflect on the amazing journey that he has been on, giving a candid look into the twists and turns that led him to success.
“I have gone well beyond my wildest expectations, my own abilities.”
Timothy McNally
But, more importantly: “I think you gain a measure of wisdom through your experiences and failures […] You need to keep a balance between your professional work and interests and yet maintain connections with people that are important in your life”.
Words of wisdom
As he steps away from his role as Chairman of NagaCorp, operator of Cambodia’s largest integrated resort NagaWorld, the executive notes that he is unlikely to get bored, choosing “public projects, community projects, police, foundations, charitable endeavors for hospitals, raising money […] I have opportunities to do all those things”.
And there’s even a chance for an autobiography or a novel, which we’ll all be eagerly waiting for.
McNally even gives us a hint of what it could contain.
“I’ve seen a lot of things over the years. Whether it’s real-life kidnappings, investigations; I’ve dealt with political corruption, financial fraud, scams, spies. I spent nine years in Miami, involved in Colombian drug investigations and police corruption in Miami. I could write about that, but I’d rather use the benefit of my knowledge of how it works and create a story. Most likely the names will be fictional, but there’ll be some (based on) reality”.
McNally celebrates his 78th birthday in August, with him noting, “My intention is to remain engaged”. This isn’t exclusively focused on writing or charitable efforts, as he notes that anything in his field of expertise, “investigation, security, compliance […] if there’s a particular problem and somebody reaches out to me where I can work with people that I’ve known, other professionals, I would. […] I want to keep working. I want to keep my mind active”.
The road to Naga
We’ll get into the FBI part later, but as McNally steps away from his Chairman role at Naga it’s important to highlight exactly what brought him there.
As the Executive Director of Security-Corporate Legal Services at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, McNally was hand-picked by the late Malaysian businessman Chen Lip Keong, who had a vision for Cambodian gaming far beyond what was currently in play.
Learning that McNally was considering departing the HKJC, Dr. Chen (Chen Lip Keong) jumped at the opportunity, bringing McNally onboard before the company’s IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. McNally contributed not only knowledge, but also credibility, given his background with the FBI and strict focus on compliance and anti-money laundering initiatives – a reputation which Cambodia was struggling to improve at the time.
NagaCorp was the first Cambodian gaming company to list on the exchange, but not without a fight.
“The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is conservative in nature. They kept coming at us with more and more questions. And we didn’t retreat. We stood our ground. We responded to the questions. Dr. Chen was always extremely transparent in his approach to dealing with things”.
The listing led to the invitation for McNally to serve as Chairman, with Dr. Chen pushing the idea that “we can be a first world company in a third world nation”.
Naga evolved from a simple barge operation to a hotel and casino, which laid the groundwork for what NagaWorld is today. Steady investments in infrastructure paved the way for the company to get the political capital necessary to advance, plus the strong promise of both jobs and tourism dollars.
But McNally wasn’t initially going to remain; he had to be brought around.
“I did one or two years on the board and it was my intention not to stay […] But Dr. Chen convinced me that I could sit shoulder to shoulder with him, actually bringing about results. That’s something that, looking back, has always had some appeal to me.”
Making the dream come true
“Even before I decided to become a lawyer, I wanted to become an FBI agent. And I became a lawyer to become an FBI agent, because at the time you had to either be a lawyer or an accountant,” reflects McNally.
“It sounded adventurous, exciting […] the images they projected, a lot of exciting things: kidnappings, bank robberies, dealing with spies”.
This interest resulted in a 24-year stint with the FBI as an Assistant Director – from 1975 to 1999, when he found his next calling with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, leveraging his respect for law enforcement on a different playing field.
And after all his adventures, McNally still maintains his idealism for the rule of law, but notes that the world is not as black and white as it appears in our youth.
“You realize that it’s far more complicated than just right or wrong. There is judgment involved. And I think probably the most important thing that I bring – whether it’s this organization or any place – is judgment based on my collective experiences,” he notes.
The Jockey Club
“Hong Kong racing, which I became obviously highly experienced with, is the most scrutinized and regulated racing product in the world due to the size of the betting pool and quality of racing. Every aspect is extremely regulated”.
McNally had “never set foot in Asia until 1999” when he joined the “very structured, very disciplined” HKJC, which had “enormous assets to support its operations and administration”.
He was hired to “head up both their security as well as their legal services”. This culminated in a six-and-a-half-year tenure handling everything from “physical security, betting syndicates, illegal gambling, government affairs and regulations pertaining to both racing and our licensing requirements”.
A single cup of coffee changed his career path: first advisor, then board member, then chairman of NagaCorp.
Now, 50 years since joining the FBI, McNally has decided to embark on his next adventure: one filled with family, introspection and joie-de-vivre that can only be gained from living life to the fullest.
