Peter Woo Kwong-ching,
GBM,
GBS,
JP (; born September 5, 1946) is a Hong Kong
billionaire
A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busin ...
businessman. He was the chairman of
Wheelock and Company Limited
}
Wheelock and Company Limited is a Hong Kong-based financial real estate company. It was listed as #1249 on the Forbes 2000 list.
The group's principal activities are property investment, property development, property management and agency, an ...
()and
The Wharf Holdings Limited () until 19 May 2015. As of April 2021, his net worth is estimated to be $14 billion.
Education
Woo was born in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
in 1946 with ancestral roots in
Ningbo
Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
,
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
, and moved to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
in 1949. He was educated at
St Stephen's College, a
Direct Subsidy Scheme
The Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) is instituted by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong to enhance the quality of private schools at the primary and secondary levels. The Hong Kong government has been encouraging non-government secondary schools w ...
privately owned but government-funded boarding school (which is also Hong Kong's largest secondary school), in the town of
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
, and went on to attain his bachelor's degree from the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
, US, majoring in physics. While a student, Woo was senior class president, and became a member of
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta () is a United States-based international Greek letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, (now West Virginia) in 1858. The fraternity currently has around 130 collegiate chapters ...
fraternity, an endeavor he is still involved in today. He later obtained an MBA from
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and is one ...
in New York, US.
Life and career
After graduating, Woo worked at
Chase Manhattan Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase Bank or often as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City, that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and fina ...
in New York and Hong Kong, where he met his future wife Bessie. Bessie was the sister of the woman he was arranged to be married to. His family did not approve of a non Asian marriage.
Woo's diversified interests are reflected in his businesses, focusing in real estate development in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. The group owns several investment properties such as
Harbour City and Times Square in Hong Kong, as well as operating other businesses such as i-Cable Communications, Wharf New T&T, Modern Terminals Limited and
Marco Polo Hotels
Marco Polo Hotels () is a hotel management company based in Hong Kong that operates hotels in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the Philippines. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wharf (Holdings) Limited. The company's chairman is chairman and man ...
. Woo also owns the privately held, high-end luxury retail group LCJG, which includes
Lane Crawford
Lane Crawford (HK) Limited () is a retail company founded in 1850 with speciality department stores selling luxury goods in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Its headquarters are in , Wong Chuk Hang.
Lane Crawford is a part of The Lane Crawford J ...
and the premier fashion house, Joyce. Woo also serves on the advisory board for various
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
companies such as Chase Manhattan Bank,
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...
and
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
.
Political and non-profit
Woo is a member of the Standing Committee of the
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...
.
His past appointments include:
* Chairman of the Council of the
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is a public research university located in Hung Hom, Hong Kong near Hung Hom station. The University is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded ...
from 1993 to 1997.
* Founding chairman of the Hong Kong Environment and Conservation Fund Committee in 1994 until 2004.
* Chairman of the
Hong Kong Hospital Authority
The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Governme ...
from 1995 to 2000.
* Chairman of the
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 as the international marketing dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. The organisation has 50 offices around the world, including ...
from 2000 to 2007.
In 1996, Woo ran in the
First Hong Kong Chief Executive Election just before the British colony was handed over back to Chinese rule, alongside
Yang Ti-liang
Sir Ti-liang Yang, (; born 30 June 1929) is a retired senior Hong Kong judge. He was the Chief Justice of Hong Kong from 1988–1996, the only ethnic Chinese person to hold this office during British colonial rule.
He was a candidate in the ...
and
Tung Chee-hwa
Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...
. Tung won.
Achievements and honours
The
Hong Kong SAR Government
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino-Br ...
appointed Woo
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
in 1993, awarded the
Gold Bauhinia Star
The Gold Bauhinia Star (, GBS) is the highest Bauhinia Star rank in the honours system of Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system of the Order of the British Empire after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of ...
in 1998 and the
Grand Bauhinia Medal
The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the ...
in 2012.
[Honours List]
30 June 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
See also
*
Antony Leung
Antony Leung Kam-chung GBS OBE JP (born 29 January 1952 in Hong Kong with family roots in Shunde, Guangdong) is a businessman who served as Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), from 29 May 2001 until ...
*
Politics of Hong Kong
The politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by its constitutional document, the Hong Kong Basic Law, its own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government and of the Special Administrativ ...
*
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong (ExCo) is the cabinet of the Government of Hong Kong, acting as a formal body of advisers to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong that serves as a core policy-making organ assisting the Chief Executive. It is ...
References
External links
Peter WooWheelock* ''Hong Kong Portraits of Power'' - Evelyn Huang and Lawrence Jeffrey, Little Brown 1995, p 102
Forbes List
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woo, Peter
1946 births
Living people
Businesspeople from Shanghai
Columbia Business School alumni
Hong Kong billionaires
Hong Kong chief executives
Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Hong Kong real estate businesspeople
People's Republic of China politicians from Shanghai
Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star
University of Cincinnati alumni
The Wharf (Holdings)
Wheelock and Company
Members of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee members
Hong Kong Affairs Advisors
Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2007–2012
Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017
Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2017–2021
Billionaires from Shanghai
Chinese emigrants to Hong Kong