Meet Jonathan Kwok, Hong Kong’s youngest billionaire: the son of late property tycoon Walter Kwok inherited shares of SHKP and EGH, but prefers to keep out of the spotlight

Apr 21 , 2022

Hong Kong skyline viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. Photo: Winson Wong

He’s part of the property empire owning Sun Hung Kai Properties and Empire Group Holdings and has ranked alongside Kylie Jenner on Forbes’ youngest billionaires list

The family has faced troubles though, including a corruption scandal and a traumatic kidnapping – perhaps that’s why Jonathan prefers to keep his life private

Jonathan Kwok hails from the wealthy Kwok family behind Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) and the Empire Group Holdings (EGH).

Hong Kong billionaire Jonathan Kwok (top row, second to the right) is a director at Empire Group Holdings, a property development and investment company started by his late father Walter Kwok. Photo: Empire Group Holdings

Little is known about his life and personal details. Fair enough, when the young Kwok is busy with his duties in upholding the billion-dollar empire his family started – and continuing its legacy.

Chairman and managing director of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Raymond Kwok Ping-luen, attends his brother Walter Kwok Ping-sheung’s funeral service. Photo: Sam Tsang

With a significant inheritance from his late father, Walter Kwok, Jonathan has become one of Asia’s youngest billionaires. We take a look at his controversial family and his noteworthy education and work experience.

He comes from the richest family in Hong Kong

Jonathan Kwok’s late father, Dr Walter Kwok Ping-sheung, at the Sun Hung Kai Properties annual general meeting in 2008. Photo: SCMP

Jonathan Kwok is the younger son of Walter Kwok. His late father was the eldest of three sons of Kwok Tak-seng who, in 1963, co-founded Sun Hung Kai Properties, which soon became Hong Kong’s biggest property developer. Walter was also the former chairman of SHKP. He established Empire Group Holdings in 2010.

Henderson Land’s Lee Shau-kee (third from the left), the MTRC’s Jack So Chak-kwong, Walter Kwok Ping-sheung of Sun Hung Kai Properties and Tsang Kam-lan of the Bank of China Group discuss the Central station development in 1996. Photo: SCMP

In a 2017 Forbes list, the Kwok family’s cumulative wealth was estimated at US$40.4 billion, and they were ranked Asia’s third richest family. Following Walter’s passing, Jonathan and his brother Geoffrey inherited their father’s stake in SHKP and assumed director positions at EGH.