Lee Shau-kee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee Shau-kee
GBM
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| 李兆基 | |||||||
Lee in 2013
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| Born | 20 February 1928 Shunde, Guangdong, Republic of China
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| Died | 17 March 2025 (aged 97) Central and Western District, Hong Kong
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| Citizenship | Hong Kong | ||||||
| Occupation | Founder and former long-time Chairman of Henderson Land Development ex-Chairman of Hong Kong and China Gas ex-Chairman of Miramar Hotel |
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| Spouse(s) | Lau Wai-kuen (divorced) | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 李兆基 | ||||||
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Lee Shau-kee (born February 20, 1928 – died March 17, 2025) was a very successful businessman from Hong Kong. He was known for being a big investor and for giving a lot of money to good causes. He was the main owner of a huge company called Henderson Land Development. This company deals with buildings, hotels, restaurants, and even internet services in Hong Kong and other places.
In 2019, when he was 91 years old, Lee Shau-kee stepped down from his main roles at the company. His two sons, Peter and Martin Lee, took over. He still stayed involved as an executive director. By July 2024, his personal wealth was estimated to be about US$27.8 billion. This made him the second richest person in Hong Kong. He was also the 63rd richest person in the world. Before 1997, he was even the fourth richest person globally.
Contents
Helping Others: Lee Shau-kee's Philanthropy
Lee Shau-kee was well-known for his generous donations. He believed in helping people and supporting education.
Supporting Creativity and Learning
He was one of the main supporters of the HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity. He gave over HK$20 million to this school through his foundation. This helped many young artists and creative minds.
In 2007, he made two very large donations to universities. He gave HK$500 million to the University of Hong Kong. He also gave HK$400 million to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. These gifts helped these universities grow and offer better education.
Creating Affordable Homes for Youth
In 2015, Lee Shau-kee donated land in Yuen Long to a charity called Po Leung Kuk. This land was used to build Hong Kong's biggest youth hostel. He wanted young people aged 18 to 30 to have affordable places to live. The units in this hostel were rented out at half the usual market price.
Gifts to Employees and Other Support
Besides his public donations, Lee Shau-kee also gave cash gifts to his staff at Henderson Land. He did this to celebrate the birth of four of his grandchildren. Over nine years, these gifts added up to HK$60 million. In May 2018, he also donated HK$100 million to Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. This money helped the university with its plans for the future.
Lee Shau-kee's Business Roles
Lee Shau-kee held many important positions in the business world.
- He was the founder, former chairman, and managing director of Henderson Land Development.
- He was also the former chairman of Hong Kong and China Gas.
- He served as the former chairman of Miramar Hotel and Investment.
- He was the Vice-Chairman and an independent non-executive director of Sun Hung Kai Properties.
- He was a member of the board of directors for Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) and the Bank of East Asia.
His Family Life
Lee Shau-kee had five children. His elder son is Peter Lee Ka-kit and his younger son is Martin Lee Ka-shing. He also had eight grandchildren.
Lee Shau-kee passed away at his home on March 17, 2025, when he was 97 years old.
See also
