Background
Li Zekai was born in 1966, China.
泽楷 李
Li Zekai was born in 1966, China.
Li Zekai was educated locally. He attended (but did not graduate from) Stanford University in the United States.
In 1991, Li borrowed $250 million from his father to start Star TV, a satellite television company. He later sold a non-profitable Star TV to Rupert Murdoch for nearly $1 billion before focusing his attention on internet ventures. After this endeavor, Li started the Pacific Century Group, and now leads PCCW, one of Asia’s largest internet compфnies and the leading provider of internet protocol TV. In April 1999, when announcing the formation of PCCW, an enormous stock-buying frenzy ensued, as investors shifted focus toward various technology stocks. Li is also a partial owner of the Marunouchi building in Tokyo, with an investment valued at more than $400 million. He has invested in several dozen start-ups, has been a major communications tycoon in Hong Kong, and has helped incorporate a smart ID card system in Hong Kong.
With a keen interest in technology and business, Li has invested a significant amount in the Japanese and Hong Kong telecommunications infrastructure. Additionally, he started the first business news channel in Hong Kong and has created the world’s first mobile television service to broadcast in real time. With a proven background of leading various businesses through tremendous growth, Li obtained a massive loan to buy Cable and Wireless HKT, one of Asia’s largest corporate takeovers. In 2003, PCCW made an unsuccessful attempt to buy Cable and Wireless of Great Britain. Later that year, Li left his post as chairperson of PCCW. He was replaced by Jack So of Hong Kong’s MTR Corp, a subway operator. In 2006, Li purchased 50 percent of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, a leading business paper. In doing so, Li assured the public that the editorial content of the paper would not be altered as a result of his ownership.
Li’s affiliations include the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ International Councillors Group, the Hong Kong Computer Society (where he is a Fellow), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (where he is a member of the council), and the Global Information Infrastructure Commission. He is also a non-executive director of the prominent Bank of East Asia, and the chairperson of Pacific Century Regional Developments Limited, which is based in Singapore. Li is a pilot and dive master. In 2003, he played an instrumental role in combating the SARS epidemic through monetary donations. As a result, his business earned the Outstanding Award for Fighting against SARS. He has continually worked to strengthen the IT industry in Hong Kong and has been a prominent investor in companies throughout the world.
