Daughter Of Malaysia's Richest Man To Lead Rs 18,000 Crore Business
Kuok Hui Kwong studied at Harvard University in the United States and is the sixth of eight children of the esteemed industrialist Robert Kuok. She took over the leadership of the Shangri-La hotel group following the resignation of former CEO Lim Beng Chi in 2022. Lim continues to serve on the board as a Non-Executive Director. Kuok Hui Kwong is married to Bryan Gaw, and the couple has two sons.
Under her current contract, Kuok Hui Kwong receives a basic monthly salary of HK$576,000 (approximately US$73,376), in addition to performance-related bonuses and pension contributions. She owns more than a 5% stake in Kerry Group, the principal shareholder of Shangri-La Asia.
The group operates and manages over 100 luxury hotels globally, under four distinct brands: Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Kerry Hotels, JEN, and Traders. Originally established as a hotel in Singapore in 1971, Shangri-La Asia has grown into a major player in international hospitality. In 2024, the company reported total revenue of US$2.19 billion, a 2% increase compared to the previous year. However, net profit declined by 12.3% to US$161.4 million during the same period. According to its stock exchange filing, while business in Hong Kong and the Philippines showed improvement, downturns in China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom negatively impacted profits.
By the end of 2023, Shangri-La Asia employed approximately 25,500 people, reflecting a 2.3% decrease from the previous year. Despite this, Kuok Hui Kwong stated in a 2023 interview that the company recorded the "fewest layoffs" in the hotel industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting its commitment to workforce retention.
Kuok Hui Kwong also briefly served as CEO of the South China Morning Post from January to June 2022. The newspaper and its affiliated media outlets were acquired by Alibaba Group in 2015, having previously been owned by the Kuok family's main business, Kerry Holdings.
According to Forbes magazine, Robert Kuok's net worth in 2025 was estimated at US$11.4 billion, securing his status as Malaysia's wealthiest individual.
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