Kwok Tak-Seng
Quick Facts
Biography
Kwok Tak-Seng (simplified Chinese: 郭得胜; traditional Chinese: 郭得勝; pinyin: Guō Déshèng; Jyutping: Kwok Tak1 Seng1) (1911 – October 1990) was a Chinese entrepreneur and the founder of Sun Hung Kai Properties, the largest property developer in Hong Kong.
Life
Kwok Tak-Seng was born in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China. He emigrated to Hong Kong after World War II. He partnered with Fung King Hey and Lee Shau Kee to establish Sun Hung Kai Properties in 1958. SHK Properties was publicly listed in Hong Kong in 1972 and soon became one of the top companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by market capitalisation.
Kwok married Kwong Siu-hing and the couple had three sons: Walter Kwok, Thomas Kwok and Raymond Kwok, all four of whom remain powerful business figures in Hong Kong.
Succession
Kwok died of a heart attack on 30 October 1990 at the age of 79. He was succeeded as chairman of Sun Hung Kai by his eldest son, Walter. In 2008, after a very public intra-family tussle, his wife Kwong Siu-hing became chairman.