Robert Kuok
2. Brief bio: Born in Johor Bahru, Johor, the youngest of 3 brothers, Robert Kuok graduated from Raffles Institution, Singapore. He then worked in the grains department of Mitsubishi, a Japanese industrial conglomerate, between 1942 and 1945. After his father died in 1948, Robert Kuok 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 per year (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. Here, he built his 2nd hotel, the Kowloon Shangri-La.
In October 2009, Robert Kuok's PPB Group issued a statement to Bursa Malaysia, stating that it has decided to sell its sugar units to Felda, along with the land used to cultivate sugarcane, for RM1.29 billion.
3. Businesses: Robert Kuok's business interests cover sugarcane plantations (Perlis Plantations Berhad), sugar refinery, flour milling, animal feed, oil and mining to finance, hotels, properties, trading and freight, and publishing.
The Kuok Group has investments in many countries, including Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Mainland China, Indonesia, Fiji, and Australia. Freight interests include Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC) and Transmile Group, with businesses in China including 10 bottling companies for Coca Cola, and ownership of the Beijing World Trade Centre.
The Kuok Group is organized geographically under 3 main holding companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Wilmar International, a palm oil giant, is Kuok's biggest holding, run by nephew, Kuok Khoon Hong, a Singapore citizen. Most of his businesses are privately held by him or his family. In 2010, Robert Kuok delisted Allgreen Properties in Singapore and Jerneh Asia in Malaysia by buying back all shares.
