From Johor Bahru Directory
| "Born in Johor Bahru, Robert Kuok is the richest person in Southeast Asia, with an estimated net worth of around US$12.5 billion in 2011." — Forbes [1]
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Robert Kuok Hock Nien (born 1923, age 88) is a Malaysian Hockchiu entrepreneur whose net worth is estimated by Forbes to be around US$12.5 billion in 2010, making him the richest person in Southeast Asia.}}[1] His business interests range from sugarcane plantations (Perlis Plantations Bhd), sugar refinery, flour milling, animal feed, oil and mining to finance, hotels, properties, trading and freight and publishing.[1] Robert Kuok currently resides in Hong Kong.
2. Brief bio: Born in Johor Bahru, Johor, the youngest of 3 brothers, Kuok worked in the grains department of Mitsubishi, a Japanese industrial conglomerate, between 1942 and 1945 upon graduation from Raffles Institution, Singapore. After his father died in 1948, he and his two brothers founded Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd in 1949, trading in agricultural commodities.
- Under the new post-colonial government, Robert Kuok began in the sugar business, alongside the government. In 1961, he made a coup by buying cheap sugar from India before sugar prices shot up. Kuok continued to invest heavily in sugar refinery, controlling 80% of the Malaysian sugar market with production of 1.5 million tonnes (equivalent to 10% of world production) and thus, earned his nickname "Sugar King of Asia".
- In 1971, Robert Kuok built his first Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. His foray into the Hong Kong property began in 1977, when he acquired a plot of land on the newly reclaimed Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront, where he built his 2nd hotel, the Kowloon Shangri-La.
- In 1993, Robert Kuok's Kerry Group acquired a 34.9% stake in the South China Morning Post from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
- In October 2009, Robert Kuok's PPB Group issued a statement to Bursa Malaysia that it has decided to dispose of its sugar units, along with the land used to cultivate sugarcane, to Felda for RM1.29 billion.
3. Businesses: Kuok's companies have investments in many countries, including Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Mainland China, Indonesia, Fiji, and Australia. Freight interests include Malaysia International Shipping Corporation and Transmile Group, with businesses in China including 10 bottling companies for Coca Cola, and ownership of the Beijing World Trade Centre.[2] Most of his businesses are privately held by him or his family.
4. Political influence: Robert Kuok's political influence is attested by his having been selected as one of the advisors on Hong Kong's future in the runup to the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong, and his minority stake in CITIC Pacific. He was also instrumental in conveying information and setting up the meetings between the governments of Malaysia and China, leading to full diplomatic cross-recognition of the two countries.
$12.5 billion [1]
