Kwek Hong Png (; 1913 - 8 November 1994) was a Singaporean businessperson, known for establishing

Hong Leong Group Hong Leong Financial Group Berhad () is a conglomerate based in Malaysia. Founded as a trading company in 1963 by Quek Leng Chan and Kwek Hong Png, the company controls 14 listed companies involved in the financial services, manufacturing, distri ...

, of which he was also chairperson. Kwek became one of the world's richest men, with an estimated net worth of S$3 billion before his retirement in 1984.

Early life

Born in 1913 in

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

's Tung Ann district to a miserly farmer, Kwek arrived in Singapore in 1928 from Fujian. He first started out as a shop helper at his brother-in-law's hardware firm. His monthly salary then was just $5 and he reportedly slept on the floors of the store. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Kwek became rich by trading construction materials. He also participated in smuggling basic goods and traded with Japanese merchants.

Career

Founded in 1941, the Hong Leong Group was originally a trading company that supplied basic construction materials and rubber. Wanting to work as a team, Kwek subsequently beckoned his three brothers to join Hong Leong. Becoming chairman of the organisation in 1956, Kwek retired in 1984; before that, his net worth was estimated by Forbes to be worth S$3 billion. He was also ranked one of the wealthiest men in the world by Forbes.

Lawsuit

In November 1989, a lawsuit was filed against Kwek for the misuse of funds as well as abetment. Represented by G. P. Selvam, Kwek was later found guilty of the charges, with a pending charge of "dishonestly receiving stolen property". Kwek was later allowed bail set at a million dollars. Kwek's passport was also seized as a precaution.

Death and legacy

Kwek died in 1994, aged 82. Louis Kraar of CNN described Kwek as "Singapore's leading developer". His empire was later inherited by his son,

Kwek Leng Beng Kwek Leng Beng (; born 1941) is a Singaporean billionaire businessman. He is the executive chairman of Hong Leong Group Singapore. In September 2019, ''Forbes'' estimated his net worth to be US$3.4 billion. Early life Kwek's father, the late ...

. In 2003 a gallery displaying Chinese artefacts at the

Asian Civilisations Museum The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) is an institution which forms a part of the four museums in Singapore, the other three being the Peranakan Museum at Old Tao Nan School, the National Museum of Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum. It is ...

was named after Kwek, and in 2015, following renovations to the museum, a new wing called the Kwek Hong Png Wing was opened.

References

{{Authority control 1913 births 1994 deaths Businesspeople from Fujian Chinese emigrants to Singapore People from Xiamen Singaporean billionaires 20th-century Singaporean businesspeople Singaporean people of Hokkien descent