Ethnicity:
Father was Chinese, that's why Robert Kuok can speak Chinese Fuzhou dialect
Robert Kuok Hock Nien was born on the 6th of October in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. His father was Chinese who arrived in Malaysia from Fujin. Robert Kuok has two brothers and he is the youngest one. He grew up speaking his parents' Chinese Fuzhou dialect, English and Japanese during Japan's wartime occupation of Malaysia.
Robert Kuok was a student of Raffles Institution and English College Johore Bahru English collegian.
Robert Kuok is a businessman with diversified field of interests. Robert is also called the “Sugar King of Asia” for having 80 percent of the Malaysian sugar production, which accounts for ten percent of the total world production, under his control. Robert’s amazing story of rising up from poverty and becoming Southeast Asia’s richest person has become a shining inspiration for a lot of people. Robert is a firm believer of hard work, diligence, and a broad set of thinking.
Robert has a deep root in Buddhist and Communist beliefs, in helping others and how everyone has an equal opportunity of succeeding, but is hindered by so much corruption—not just in politics, but a corruption of the entire system of life itself.
Robert’s philosophy in business can be summed up into four words: work hard, work smart. From a very young age, Robert has not only learned the value of diligence and hard work, but he has also discovered that it takes brains to become successful in the business world, and life in general.
Quotations: “Everything on earth is dynamic. I can only give my children a message, not money. If they follow it, we can go another three or four generations.”
He was among the very first foreign entrepreneurs who did business with Communist China. Robert is a very humble man, and prefers to live a simple life. He rarely indulges himself in the pleasures of life, nor does he love to be in the company of the press. In fact, Robert is known to be very media-shy.
Quotes from others about the person
Tim Dattel: "There’s only one Robert Kuok, there’s no doubt. But he has instilled his business philosophy deep into the family. With what he has built, they are well set to continue, whatever happens."
He is married and has 8 children.
Kuok Khoon Ho is the Chairman of the Kuok Brothers, born in 1951.
