Peter Lam Kin-ngok,
GBS (, born 7 August 1957) is a
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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
businessman and billionaire.
Peter Lam is the son of the late industrialist tycoon
Lim Por-yen and his second wife U Po-chu. Peter is Chairman of
Lai Sun Development Company,
Lai Fung Holdings,
Hong Kong Tourism Board, and a director of e-Sun Holdings. In 2019, Peter became 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, includi ...
(HKTDC).
Peter also owns
Media Asia Entertainment Group
Media Asia Entertainment Group (), Media Asia Group (, ), is a Hong Kong production company and film distributor for films made in Hong Kong and throughout China. It is a subsidiary of Lai Sun Development Company Ltd.
History
Headquartered ...
and Clot Media Division.
Peter has gained notoriety in Hong Kong's business, media and entertainment industry, as well as in Asia's Hospitality and Food and Beverage industries.
In 2008, Peter established Lai Sun Dining. The group develops and operates high-end culinary concepts locally and abroad. Their portfolio currently encompasses 17 brands, 24 outlets, and 9 Michelin stars, including 3 Michelin-starred
8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Beefbar, and
China Tang in London, Hong Kong Landmark, and Harbor City.
Before founding Lai Sun Dining in 2008, Peter was a key investor in several restaurant businesses, including
Cipriani Hong Kong and the
China Club.
Biography
Peter Lam Kin Ngok was born in 1957 in Hong Kong to
Teochew parents. He is the son of the industrialist tycoon
Lim Por-yen and his second wife, U Po-Chu. He has two brothers, Lam Kin Ming and Lam King Hong. At the age of thirteen, he was sent to Canada for four years of high school, after which he attended the
University of Oregon where he graduated in 1987. After his graduation, he returned to Hong Kong to help his father, eventually becoming the vice-chairman of
Lai Sun Group
Lai Sun Group () is a Hong Kong conglomerate. It was founded by garment billionaire and entrepreneur, Lim Por-yen. Its businesses include property development, real estate investment, hotel, telecom, mass media and entertainment. Lai Sun is wor ...
.
In 1997, Lam purchased
Furama Hotel for HK$6.9 billion to rebuild it even though the idea was strongly opposed by his father
Lim Por-yen. Unfortunately it is during the time Asian economic crisis struck and the property market nose-dived, forcing Lai-Sun Group to borrow money from banks, and this led them to be in debt of a hundred billion Hong Kong dollars
After this bad experience, Lam put more focus on his entertainment business. The first step to him becoming an entertainment magnate came in 2002, when the movie produced by his company,
Infernal Affairs, enjoyed huge success. In 2004, Lam and Hong Kong singer
Leon Lai
Leon Lai Ming SBS BBS MH (born 11 December 1966), is a Hong Kong actor, film director, businessman and Cantopop singer. He is one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. He uses his Chinese name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming", whi ...
started a music group-
Amusic
Amusic is the record label of East Asia Record Production Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Paciwood Music & Entertainment Ltd. It was founded by businessman Peter Lam and singer Leon Lai on 28 July 2004.
Its purpose is developing artists with pote ...
which recruited famous Hong Kong singers.
In 2009, Peter supported
Sharon Cheung
Sharon Cheung (, ) is a Hong Kong-based journalist and entrepreneur. She graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1995. She worked for the ''South China Morning Post'' from 1995 through 1998 and ''Hong Kong Cable Television News ...
to start a free movie website "Goyeah.com". This is the first time in Hong Kong movies were shared online for free. The website's main revenue is from commercials
In 2011, Peter was awarded Honorary Doctorate by the
Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) (Chinese: 香港演藝學院) is a provider of tertiary education in Hong Kong. Located near the north coast of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, the main campus also functions as a venue for pe ...
, recognising his contribution to music & film industries and support to the academy.
On February 22, 2013, Hong Kong SAR government announced the appointment of Peter Lam Kin Ngok as the new chairman of
Hong Kong Tourism Board replacing
James Tien James Tien is the name of:
*James Tien (actor) (; born 1942), Hong Kong actor from Guangdong
*James Tien (politician) (; born 1947), Hong Kong politician, former Liberal Party chairman and Legislative Council member
*James M. Tien, American enginee ...
. In the same year, Lam was elected by members to the standing committee of the twelfth CPPCC national committee.
In December 2021, it was reported that Lam had a "privileged" vote in the
2021 Hong Kong legislative election, where the vote would count approximately 7,215 times more than an ordinary citizen.
Business
Peter Lam is the current chairman of Lai Sun Development,
Media Asia Entertainment Group
Media Asia Entertainment Group (), Media Asia Group (, ), is a Hong Kong production company and film distributor for films made in Hong Kong and throughout China. It is a subsidiary of Lai Sun Development Company Ltd.
History
Headquartered ...
Holdings, the
Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Crocodile Garments, and deputy chairman of Lai Fung Holdings. He received the Gold Bauhinia Star award in 2015 for his outstanding contributions.
Lai Sun Group & Hospitality
In 1989, Lai Sun Group entered into the hospitality business with several hotel acquisitions and a partnership with the
Delta Hotels
Delta Hotels by Marriott is a four-star brand of hotels and resorts located primarily in North America.
Canadian institution Beginnings
In June 1962, William Pattison and his business partners opened the 68-room Delport Inn in Richmond, BC. Tha ...
Group. The partnership expanded Lai Sun Group's access into North America. In the early 1990s, Lai Sun Group expanded into China through the acquisition of the Chains Hotels Group. In 1995, the company was subsequently renamed Lai Sun Hotels International Limited.
The Group currently owns and operates the
Ocean Park Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong, the
Caravelle Hotel
The Caravelle Hotel is located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The hotel was opened to the public on Christmas Eve 1959, when the city was known as Saigon. Contemporary journalists noted its use of Italian marble, bullet-proof glass and a "state-of- ...
in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the
Fairmont St Andrews in Scotland, as well as Lai Fung Group’s hotel and serviced apartment operations in Shanghai and Hengqin in China.
Four Seasons Hotel & The Beverly Wilshire Hotel
Starting from 1995, Lai Sun Hotels International Limited continued investments in a number of luxury hotels across its international subsidiaries. The hotels included
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong,
Four Seasons Hotel New York and the Four Seasons Hotel Milano.
In 1996, the
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
reported that the Lai Sun Group had acquired stakes in the Regent
Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, USA for a deal estimated to be around USD$100 Million.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Hong Kong
Lai Sun Development (LSD) acquired the
Furama Kempinski Hotel
The Furama Hotel () was a 33-storey hotel in Central, Hong Kong, located at 1 Connaught Road Central. The site is now occupied by the AIA Central office building.
History
The Furama Hotel was designed by Eric Cumine Associates and built for the ...
's parent company, Furama Hotel Enterprises, in June 1997 for HK$7 billion.
In December 2001,
Lai Sun Development, with Peter Lam as CEO, demolished two of its five-star hotels - the
Furama Kempinski Hotel
The Furama Hotel () was a 33-storey hotel in Central, Hong Kong, located at 1 Connaught Road Central. The site is now occupied by the AIA Central office building.
History
The Furama Hotel was designed by Eric Cumine Associates and built for the ...
, then famous for its revolving restaurant, and
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. In its place,
Lai Sun Development built
AIG Tower, a 185-metre (607 ft.), 37-storey skyscraper that was completed in 2005. It was renamed
AIA Central in 2009.
Lai Sun Dining & Restaurants
In 2008, Peter Lam established Lai Sun Dining, a Hong-Kong based hospitality group. The group owns and operates high-end culinary concepts locally and abroad. Their portfolio currently encompasses 9 Michelin Stars across 17 brands and 24 outlets, including 3 Michelin Starred
8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, China Tang, the
China Club, Beefbar, and Cipriani Hong Kong.
Global Fair Development Limited
In May 2021,
Liber Research Community released a report, which included information stating that Lam is a company director at Global Fair Development Limited, a company which allegedly colluded with indigenous villagers to buy
small house policy ding rights and illegally develop them.
Personal life
Peter's father,
Lim Por-yen, died in 2005 at the age of 90. He had 8 children, including Peter Lam Kin-ngok,
Pearl Lam
Pearl Lam () is a Hong Kong-born international gallerist. She is the owner of Pearl Lam Galleries.Mason, Christoper''The New York Times''. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
Life and career
Lam was born in Hong Kong, which was then a British mandate.Chi ...
, Lam Kin-hong
林建康, and Lam Kin-ming
林建名 who died on January 8, 2021, due to lymphoma.
Peter married Taiwanese actress
Hsieh Ling-Ling 謝玲玲 in 1980, the couple had five children- Lester, Emily, Evelyn, Eleanor and Lucas, where Eleanor () and Lucas are mixed twins. However, due to Lam's dissolute, the couple had filed for divorce in 1993, after two years the couple officially divorced.
Hsieh Ling-Ling and Peter's eldest son, Lester Lam
林孝賢 who graduated from
Northeastern University in the United States is currently the executive director and CEO of
Lai Sun Group
Lai Sun Group () is a Hong Kong conglomerate. It was founded by garment billionaire and entrepreneur, Lim Por-yen. Its businesses include property development, real estate investment, hotel, telecom, mass media and entertainment. Lai Sun is wor ...
. In one interview, Lester stated that he admired his father and spoke about how to manage a family business so that he can be considered as the successor of the future
Lai Sun Group
Lai Sun Group () is a Hong Kong conglomerate. It was founded by garment billionaire and entrepreneur, Lim Por-yen. Its businesses include property development, real estate investment, hotel, telecom, mass media and entertainment. Lai Sun is wor ...
.
Their eldest daughter, Emily Lam-Ho
林恬兒, graduated with a double degree from the
University of Southern California in 2006 and a double masters from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in New York City in 2016. Emily is the CEO and founder of Empact28, director of business development at
Sing Tao Daily News Corporation, and the CEO and co-founder of EcoDrive. She married Kent Ho, son of
Charles Ho, in 2014.
In 2000, Lam's then-girlfriend Monica Chen Yi-ping
陳浥萍, a model, socialite, and businesswoman from
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
, gave birth to their baby daughter Lyann Lam
林利兒. Lyann Angelique Lam is his youngest child. When news of their split broke, Peter and Monica issued a joint public statement pleading with the public to offer space and privacy out of respect for their daughter's young age. She has maintained a relatively private lifestyle despite media interest.
Politics & public positions
Hong Kong Tourism Board
Peter was appointed the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) for three years from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2016, succeeding
James Tien Pei-chun
James Tien Pei-chun, GBS, OBE, JP (; born 8 January 1947) is the former Chairman and Leader of the Liberal Party (LP) and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco). Coming from the background of an entrepreneur, he was ...
. He was further re-appointed the Chairman for three years from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2019.
Our Hong Kong Foundation
Peter is a counsellor of
Our Hong Kong Foundation. This Foundation is a Hong Kong non-profit organization registered in September 2014, with an aim to promote the long-term interests of Hong Kong through policy research, analysis and recommendation. Pooling together local, mainland and international talent, it studies Hong Kong's development needs, offering multidisciplinary public policy recommendations and proposing solutions to foster social cohesion, economic prosperity and sustainable development.
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong
Peter is the council chairman of the
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, a political party formed in October 2012.
The goal of this alliance is to drive forward Hong Kong's economy through commercial and industrial development and to help improve people's livelihood through its professionalism and dedication. The alliance offers suggestions for the long-term strategic development of Hong Kong and for the well-being of the public.
Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)
In 2019, Peter was appointed 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, includi ...
(HKTDC).
Hobbies
Peter, who loves cigars, owns a cigar shop in Hong Kong. He reportedly enjoys "Buttman" Batman-based humour T-shirts. He also loves horse racing. He and both of his brothers are members of the
Hong Kong Jockey Club where he owns two horses, Go Baby Go and Million Darling. In Million Darling's six appearances, he has been in the top four every single time. Sadly due to a leg injury, Million Darling was forced to retire in 2011, earning a total stake of HK$939,475.
Yachts
In 2001, Lai Sun Development Chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok was the owner of a 30.5-metre vessel made by San Lorenzo called Sun Princess. The yacht has an estimated cost of US$9 million.
In 2016, Dr. Peter Lam was appointed as the Chairman of
Camper and Nicholson International, a renowned European yacht brokerage and management firm. Peter's eldest son, Lester Lam
林孝賢, currently serves on Camper & Nicholson's Board of Directors.
Peter's passion for yachting developed over decades, as the owner of several yachts in both the Mediterranean and Hong Kong, for which he obtained related licenses and certifications.
Sun Princess and SunPrince
In 2010, Peter's eldest son Lester hosted a massive birthday party aboard his father's yachts, The Sun Princess and The SunPrince. The party itself is estimated to have cost Lam over HKD $500 million (US$894000) to host. Despite many attempts to avoid the paparazzi and the media, photographs of the party became front-page news.
2008 Speeding offence
In early 2008, Lam avoided a
speeding offence when he successfully challenged the correct use and validity of laser speed detectors by the police. Lam was allegedly clocked at 114 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. He eventually pleaded guilty to driving at 79 km/h, and was fined HK$450.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, Peter
Living people
1957 births
Lai Sun Group
Hong Kong business executives
Hong Kong billionaires
Members of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong politicians
Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2007–2012
Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017
Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star
Hong Kong racehorse owners and breeders
University of Oregon alumni
Hong Kong people