Robert Kuok

Robert Kuok Hock Nien (Chinese: 郭鹤年; born 6 October 1923) is a Malaysian entrepreneur, originally from Guozhai Village, Gaishan Town, Cangshan District, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, and born in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. He began his career in the sugar industry and is nicknamed the "Sugar King of Asia." Founder of the Kuok Group, he has been named by Forbes as Malaysia's richest person and the fourth-richest among Chinese billionaires. Most of his assets are in Hong Kong, including numerous luxury residences, shopping malls, hotels, offices and the Shangri‑La hotel group. Kuok was ranked 40th on the list of the world's richest people; he resides primarily in Hong Kong and has actively expanded his business presence in mainland China. In May 2018, after Malaysia's first change of government, he was invited by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to serve as a cabinet adviser and became one of the five members of the Council of Eminent Persons.