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Hong Kong property billionaire From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Tak Lee or Lee Tak-Yee (Chinese: 李德義; pinyin: Lǐ Déyì; Jyutping: Lei5 Dak1-ji6; born April 1939) is a Hong Kong property billionaire.
Samuel Tak Lee | |
|---|---|
Lee in 2015 | |
| Born | April 1939 (age 85) |
| Nationality | Hong Konger |
| Education | Diocesan Boys' School, Hong Kong |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard Business School |
| Occupation | Property developer |
| Children | 7 |
Lee was born in April 1939.[1] He was educated at Diocesan Boys' School in Mong Kok,[2] before earning bachelor's and master's degrees in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964.[3] Lee then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.[4]
After finishing his studies, Lee returned to Hong Kong to join Prudential Enterprise, the real estate company founded by his father and uncle in 1958.[5][6] He took control of the entire business from his brother Lee Tak-Yan in 1985.[7] Prudential Enterprises owns the Prudential Hotel[8] in Hong Kong and has significant holdings in Hong Kong, Japan, Switzerland and Singapore.[9][10] In the UK, he purchased the 14 acre Langham Estate in London's Fitzrovia district in 1994.[11][12] A real estate portfolio Lee indirectly established in Tokyo in 1999 was eventually sold in 2017 for approximately $1.2 billion.[13][14][15][16][17]
By 2019 Lee had become the largest shareholder in Shaftesbury plc a large London real estate investment trust with a 26.3 per cent stake.[18][19][20] There was persistent media speculation that Lee would eventually bid for control of Shaftesbury.[21][22][23] The Times also reported that Lee was suing Shaftesbury for £10.4 million in alleged losses over a share placing.[20] His interest in Shaftesbury was subsequently sold at a discount to Capco for $544 million in June 2020.[24][25][26]
Lee has been noted for his vigorous defence of his estate's legal rights and business interests.[7][11][27] According to Forbes, he had a net worth of $3.6 billion, as of January 2021.[28]
In 2007, Lee donated HK$9 million to Hong Kong's Diocesan Boys' School, of which he was a student between 1951 and 1958.[6] The donation was made to fund residential student growth with a new dormitory block for the school. One of Lee's sons was studying at the school at that time.[29][30]
Lee donated $118 million in 2015 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to be used to establish a real estate entrepreneurship lab focused on China.[31] The lab has been researching the impact of poor urban air quality on residents' health, social lives and behaviour.[32][33]
Lee is married with seven children and lives between Hong Kong and London.[4] He reportedly owns the yachts Pelorus and Kogo.[34][35][36] The Lee family reported owns a Boeing aircraft and a large car collection.[37][22]
Lee maintains a low profile and rarely speaks out about his many business dealings.[37] According to media reports and court documents Lee has a colourful personal life.[38][27][39][40]
Samuel's son, Samathur Li Kin-kan, is famous for his divorce settlement, which the court of Hong Kong awarded his ex-wife HK$1.2 billion.[41][42]
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