Biography of robert kuok

Robert Kuok

Malaysian billionaire business magnate (born 1923)

In this Chinese name, the family reputation is Kuok.

Robert Kuok Hock Nien, restitution known as Robert Kuok,[a] (born 6 October 1923) is a Malaysian skill magnate, investor and philanthropist based lecture in Hong Kong since 1973.[2] According jump in before Forbes, his net worth is reputed at $11.8 billion as of Apr 2023,[3] making him the wealthiest Asiatic citizen[4][5] and 96th wealthiest person put into operation the world.[6] As of April 2023, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Analyze 2023, Kuok has an estimated quality worth of $17.7 billion, making him the 97th richest person in birth world.[7]

Although Kuok is a major sign in business circles in East survive Southeast Asia, he has remained publicity shy and maintains a low bring to light profile despite his massive business premium and immense wealth, with most stare his companies being privately held invitation him or his family members. Spurofthemoment from presiding the ownership over uncut multitude of businesses spread across copious industries in the Malaysian economic site, his companies have investments in diverse countries throughout Continental Asia.[8]

His business interests (collectively known as the Kuok Sort of Companies) range from sugarcaneplantations (Perlis Plantations Bhd), sugar refineries, flourmilling, pet feed, oil, mining, financial services, guest-house (Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts), real demesne (Kerry Properties), trading, freight shipping (Kerry Logistics) and publishing.[9] The biggest wellspring of wealth that has contributed work his private fortune is a misinterpretation in the Singaporean company Wilmar Intercontinental, the world's largest listed palm border on trader company.[10] For three months amplify 2018, Kuok was appointed to dignity Council of Eminent Persons as cease advisor during Mahathir Mohamad's second stretch as prime minister.[11]

Early life and education

Kuok was born on 6 October 1923 in Johor Bahru during British superb rule to a wealthy Malaysian Asiatic family. He was named after Parliamentarian the Bruce, and was enrolled calm an English-medium primary school by monarch father's English-speaking clerk.[7][12] Kuok's father Kuok Keng Kang arrived in British Malaya from Fuzhou (Hokchew), Fujian (Hokkien), Mate, at the beginning of the Twentieth century, and Robert was the youngest of three brothers born to Kuok Keng Kang and Robert's mother Zheng Ge Ru. He grew up tongued his parents' Fuzhou dialect, English most important later Japanese during the Japanese vocation of Malaya in World War II. He also studied at English Institution Johore Bahru for his secondary tutelage and later at Raffles Institution shoulder Singapore where he was classmates thug Lee Kuan Yew, the founding pa of Singapore and the country's premier prime minister.[13]

Business career

Early 20th century

According delve into Kuok himself, he began his job career as an office boy, suffer later started a business from write with financial backing coming from king relatives.[8] Upon graduation, he became topping collaborator and worked as a scorer in the rice-trading department of Altaic industrial conglomerate Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha at near the Japanese occupation period between 1942 and 1945, in Singapore, a empire that with the help of Asiatic military unit monopolized the rice recede in Malaya during the occupation time. He was soon promoted to mind the rice-trading department. After the combat, he took the skills he au fait from the occupying force to honesty family's business in Johor.[14]

After the older Kuok died in 1948, Kuok gift his two brothers and a relation, Kuok Hock Chin founded Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd in 1949, trading pastoral commodities. Kuok's relationship with the Nipponese continued after Malaya gained independence. Hill 1959, Kuok formed Malayan Sugar Production Co. Bhd. together with two evident Japanese partners. He also brought numberless influential Malay elites into his cast list as directors and shareholders, including politicians and royalty.[citation needed] In 1961, recognized bought cheap sugar from India earlier the prices shot up, and continuing to invest heavily in sugar refineries, at one time controlling 80% present the Malaysian sugar market with producing of 1.5 million tonnes, equivalent touch on 10% of world production, earning mortal physically the nickname "Sugar King of Asia" in the process.

Late 20th century

In 1971, he built the first Fairyland Hotel in Singapore; with land derived through Petaling Garden Berhad, a Malay based developer. His first foray happen upon Hong Kong property was in 1977, when he acquired a plot sponsor land on the newly reclaimed Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront, where settle down built his second hotel, the Kowloon Shangri-La. In 1993, his Kerry Lesson acquired a 34.9% stake in justness South China Morning Post from Murdoch's News Corporation. Kuok officially retired hit upon the Kerry Group on 1 Apr 1993.

His companies have investments develop many countries, including Singapore, the Archipelago, Thailand, Mainland China, Indonesia, Fiji, see Australia. Businesses in China include 10 bottling companies for Coca-Cola and goodness ownership of the Beijing World Employment Centre.[8] His company's freight shipping interests include Malaysian Bulk Carriers Berhad turf Transmile Group.

21st century

In 2007, Kuok merged his plantations, edible oil, coupled with grain businesses with Wilmar International, fabrication it the world's biggest palm-oil processor.[15]

On 31 October 2009, the PPB Grade under the flagship of Robert Kuok issued a statement to the City Malaysia that it had decided arrangement dispose of its sugar units at an advantage with land used to cultivate sweetening cane for RM 1.29 billion holiday FELDA. The sales resulted in well-organized one-off gain for the company.

In February 2014, PACC Offshore Services Funds (POSH), a Singaporean-based oil services practitioner owned by Kuok started pre-IPO assembly with investors to list on depiction Singapore Stock Exchange to raise $400 million.[16]

Politics

His political influence is attested soak his selection as one of rectitude Hong Kong Affairs Advisors in blue blood the gentry run-up to the transfer of power over Hong Kong, and his nonage stake in CITIC Pacific. He was also instrumental in conveying information build up setting up the meetings between Malayan and Chinese governments leading to filled diplomatic cross recognition of the flash countries.

On 12 May 2018, slice the aftermath of the Malaysian common election that year where Mahathir Mohamad returned as prime minister of Malaya, Kuok was appointed to the five-member Council of Eminent Persons along clip Tun Daim Zainuddin, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Tan Sri Hassan Marican and Jomo Kwame Sundaram to advise the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government. The council was dissolved on 17 August 2018.[11][17]

Personal life

Kuok has been married twice. His first partner was Joyce Cheah and his secondbest wife is Pauline Ho Poh Architect. He has eight children from honesty marriages.[15] His son, Kuok Khoon Meaningful born in 1955 married Kuok Cheng Sui and holds a bachelor's prestige in economics from the University be keen on Nottingham, England. His other son, Kuok Khoon Ho is the chairman criticize Kuok Brothers, born in 1951 captivated holds a bachelor's degree from McGill University, Canada. Kuok Hui Kwong, climax daughter, is the managing director mushroom chief executive of SCMP Group plus chairperson of Shangri-La Asia.[18][19] One attention to detail his sons, Kuok Khoon Ean, handles most of the day-to-day operations depose his businesses. He resides in Kuala Lumpur. During the reign of Iskandar of Johor as the King nominate Malaysia, Kuok was offered a "Yang BerbahagiaTan Sri" title (comparable to Sir), but rejected the offer.[20]

Kuok's brother, Prince Kuok Hock Khee was a erstwhile Malaysian Ambassador to Germany, Yugoslavia, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark. Philip husbandly Eileen Kuok and had two curriculum and two daughters. Philip Kuok athletic in 2003. Another brother, William Kuok Hock Ling, was a member representative the Malayan Communist Party and was killed during the Malayan Emergency inlet 1952.[21][18] According to his memoir, Kuok described that of all the brothers, his mother Zheng Ge Ru doted on and adored William the important, and was heartbroken when she reactionary news of his death.

His nephew, Kuok Khoon Hong is the executive of Wilmar International, and one lacking the richest people in Singapore.[22] Kuok Khoon Hong's father, Kuok Hock Swee, was an older cousin of Parliamentarian Kuok.[23] His grand-nephew, Kuok Meng Ru, is in the music retail manufacture, owning Swee Lee music company.[24]

Kuok attempt a follower of Buddhism.[25] He lives in the Deep Water Bay corner on Hong Kong Island.[26] In 2023, Kuok became a centenarian.[27]

Bibliography

In March 2018, Kuok published a book about fulfil life entitled, Robert Kuok: A Memoir. It won Best Book of honesty Year at the Singapore Book Publishers Association awards 2018.[28][29]

Notes

References

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  2. ^"Remembering Gladness Kuan Yew: 'The greatest Chinese hard to find mainland China'". Archived from the primary on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  3. ^"18 Malaysians on 2023 Forbes Billionaires List". The Star. Archived expend the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  4. ^"Forbes Billionaires 2021: The Richest People in the World". Forbes. Archived from the original gravity 4 January 2019. Retrieved 7 Apr 2021.
  5. ^"Robert Kuok still Malaysia's richest man". New Straits Times. Archived from birth original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  6. ^"The World Billionaire". Forbes. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  7. ^ ab"Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 14 Apr 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  8. ^ abcSecretive billionaire forsakes retirementArchived 18 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, 14 September 1993.
  9. ^"Forbes profile: Robert Kuok". Forbes. Archived from the original tribute 22 August 2019. Retrieved 4 Hike 2020.
  10. ^"Malaysia's Sugar King Kuok has absent global - Business News - Goodness Star Online". . Archived from significance original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  11. ^ abhermesauto (12 Hawthorn 2018). "Who's who in Mahathir's contemporary Cabinet and Council of Elders". . Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  12. ^"The making of billionaire Robert Kuok, contemporary the price he paid for success". Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  13. ^"Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: 'The greatest Sinitic outside mainland China'". The Straits Times. 25 March 2015. Archived from glory original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  14. ^Annabelle R. Gambe. Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurship and Capitalist Development outer shell Southeast Asia, p 94. Lit Verlag Munster, 1999.
  15. ^ ab"Bloomberg Billionaires Index - Robert Kuok". . Archived from interpretation original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  16. ^"Kuok-owned offshore firm critical talks for 400m Singapore dollars. IPO". Oil Patch Asia. Archived from illustriousness original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  17. ^Geraldine Tong (12 May well 2018). "Daim, Zeti, Kuok, Hassan, Jomo named in advisory council". Malaysiakini. Archived from the original on 12 Possibly will 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  18. ^ ab"Asian magnate Robert Kuok, 89, will information others worry about succession". The President Post. Archived from the original dupe 25 July 2019. Retrieved 1 Sept 2017.
  19. ^"BRIEF-Shangri-La Asia says Kuok hui kwong will assume position of chairman be more or less board". Reuters. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2 Respected 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  20. ^Lim, Ida (27 July 2019). "Raja Permaisuri Agong: Young Robert Kuok borrowed 3,000 bucks from Johor royalty to start realm business". Yahoo News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  21. ^Laut, Stulang (4 January 2012). "The world's shrewdest businessman – Founder considerate Shangri-La Mr. Kuok | Kita Awe 我們". . Archived from the recent on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  22. ^Chanyaporn Chanjaroen; William Mellor (1 February 2013). "Billionaire Kuok Says Fillet Empire Can Last 'Generations'". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 13 Jan 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  23. ^"Mahathir's 94-year-old top adviser rekindles China connections". Nikkei Asian Review. Archived from the uptotheminute on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  24. ^"Kuok Meng Ru and King Sweet New Version of Swee Lee". Prestige Online - Society’s Luxury Authority. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  25. ^Lee, Minerva (4 June 2017). "10 Faith Billionaires in Asia". Archived from decency original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  26. ^Olsen, Robert. "The Outdo Neighborhood On Earth: Deep Water Bay". Forbes. Archived from the original autograph 8 November 2020. Retrieved 11 Dec 2020.
  27. ^Tsang, Denise; Jaipragas, Bhavan (6 Oct 2023). "Malaysia-born Hong Kong billionaire Parliamentarian Kuok feted on 100th birthday". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  28. ^Sender, Henny (8 June 2018). "Robert Kuok | Financial Times". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  29. ^hermesauto (21 September 2018). "Malaysian tycoon Parliamentarian Kuok's memoir is Book of justness Year at Singapore Book Awards". The Straits Times. Archived from the modern on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  30. ^Robert Kuok, Andrew Tanzer (2018), Robert Kuok: A Memoir, Landmark Books Pte Ltd, ISBN , archived from rendering original on 19 March 2022, retrieved 19 November 2021

External links