Universally known as Li Ka-shing’s second in command and famed for being Hong Kong’s best-paid employee, Canning Fok is group managing director of Hutchison Whampoa and group co-managing director of CK Hutchison Holdings. He runs many of the group’s numerous businesses, including its telecommunications, port operations and utility operations.

Known as a steady hand and renowned for being an astute negotiator, he originally comes from an accountancy background, and got his first job with Li by writing to him directly while working as an auditor. He joined the Hutchison board in 1984 and the Cheung Kong board in 1985, and became managing director of Hutchison in 1993; he has been Li’s top advisor ever since, and was the person behind the reordering and streamlining of the family businesses into CK Hutchison in 2015.

Canning Fok is married to Eliza, with whom he has four children.