A one-of-a-kind mega-tycoon whose businesses touch on almost every aspect of life in Hong Kong, Li Ka-shing is the city’s richest person and just about its most instantly recognisable, globally famous individual. Often referred to as “Superman”, so outsized is his role in Hong Kong’s economy that his companies constitute 4 per cent of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s market capitalisation.

He officially retired in 2018 as chairman of his CK Hutchison Holdings empire, which includes everything from real estate to telecoms and ports to retail, but continues to act as an advisor to the companies he established. He famously made his first fortune making plastic flowers in the 1950s, after leaving school aged 16 to take on a variety of low-paying jobs; he then built the company through acquisitions fuelled by astute real estate deals.

He continues to be an impeccably sharp investor, with a particular eye for promising tech disruptors; he has invested in companies including Zoom, Spotify, Facebook, Airbnb, Siri and DeepMind. He is also a prolific philanthropist who has pledged to give a third of his wealth away: so far his Li Ka Shing Foundation has invested more than HK$20 billion in education and healthcare.

In 2022, Li Ka-shing was named by The Hurun Research Institute as the wealthiest real estate developer in the world, while he was placed at #37 on the Forbes Billionaire List for 2022. His private investment firm, Horizons Ventures, recently opened a Singapore office, hugely bolstering the Lion City’s credentials as a hub for start-up companies.

Known for living a relatively modest lifestyle, despite his fabulous wealth, he is the father of Victor and Richard, themselves both business leaders in their own right.