Robert Kuok

In this Chinese name, the family name is Kuok.
Robert Kuok
郭鹤年
Born
Kuok Hock Nien

(1923-10-06) 6 October 1923 (age 101)
Johor Bahru, Johor, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya
(now Malaysia)
Alma materRaffles Institution
Occupation(s)Business magnate, investor, philanthropist
Known forMalaysia's richest person
TitleFounder and chairman of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
Spouse(s)Joyce Cheah (谢碧蓉) (deceased)
Pauline Ho Poh Lin (何宝莲)
Children8
RelativesKuok Khoon Hong (first cousin once removed)[1]

Robert Kuok Hock Nien, better known as Robert Kuok,[a] (born 6 October 1923) is a Malaysian business magnate, investor and philanthropist based in Hong Kong since 1973.[2] According to Forbes, his net worth is estimated at $11.8 billion as of April 2023,[3] making him the wealthiest Malaysian citizen[4][5] and 96th wealthiest person in the world.[6] As of April 2023, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2023, Kuok has an estimated net worth of $17.7 billion, making him the 97th richest person in the world.[7]

Although Kuok is a major figure in business circles in East and Southeast Asia, he has remained media shy and maintains a low public profile despite his massive business success and immense wealth, with most of his companies being privately held by him or his family members. Apart from presiding the ownership over a multitude of businesses spread across numerous industries in the Malaysian economic landscape, his companies have investments in many countries throughout Continental Asia.[8]

His business interests (collectively known as the Kuok Group of Companies) range from sugarcane plantations (Perlis Plantations Bhd), sugar refineries, flour milling, animal feed, oil, mining, financial services, hotel (Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts), real estate (Kerry Properties), trading, freight shipping (Kerry Logistics) and publishing.[9] The biggest source of wealth that has contributed to his private fortune is a stake in the Singaporean company Wilmar International, the world's largest listed palm oil trader company.[10] For three months in 2018, Kuok was appointed to the Council of Eminent Persons as an advisor during Mahathir Mohamad's second stint as prime minister.[11]

  1. ^ "Mahathir's 94-year-old top adviser rekindles China connections". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: 'The greatest Chinese outside mainland China'". Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  3. ^ "18 Malaysians on 2023 Forbes Billionaires List". The Star. Archived from 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 on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Robert Kuok still Malaysia's richest man". New Straits Times. Archived from the 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. ^ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference forsakes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Forbes profile: Robert Kuok". Forbes. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Malaysia's Sugar King Kuok has gone global - Business News - The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  11. ^ hermesauto (12 May 2018). "Who's who in Mahathir's new Cabinet and Council of Elders". straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.


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