Fan Hongwei
Fan Hongwei | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Jiangsu Province, China |
| Occupation(s) | Business magnate, CEO |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Known for | Chairperson and CEO of Hengli Petrochemical; Vice chair of Hengli Group |
Fan Hongwei (; born February 1967) is a Chinese business magnate and billionaire, serving as chairperson and CEO of Hengli Petrochemical (恒力石化), a leading chemical fiber enterprise, and as vice chair of its parent company, Hengli Group (恒力集团). In 2019, she was recognized as the fourth wealthiest woman in China.
Early life and education
Fan was born in February 1967 in Jiangsu Province, China. She pursued higher education at Nanjing Normal University.
Career
Starting her professional journey as an accountant, Fan transitioned into entrepreneurship in 1994 when she and her husband, Chen Jianhua, acquired the struggling Wujiang Chemical Fibre Textile Factory located in Wujiang, Suzhou, financed through a 3 million RMB loan. Taking on the role of general manager, Fan restructured the company, expanding its workforce from 27 employees to become China's largest fiber manufacturer and one of the globe’s most prominent weaving enterprises.
This enterprise eventually transformed into Hengli Group, with Hengli Petrochemical as its flagship division. In 2016, Hengli Petrochemical entered the public market through a backdoor listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. By 2019, Hengli Group reported revenues exceeding 500 billion RMB. The conglomerate’s principal operations encompass petroleum refining tailored for polyester production, chemical fiber manufacturing, and real estate development. While predominantly catering to the apparel sector, the company also produces chips and filaments utilized in packaging, electronics, and pharmaceutical industries. Its manufacturing facilities are situated in Nantong, Suqian, and Suzhou.
Fan owns a 45% equity share in Hengli Petrochemical. Forbes estimated her net worth at approximately US$6 billion in 2020, which increased to nearly US$23 billion by 2021.
Recognition
In 2020, Fan was featured among Forbes top 50 CEOs in China and was also named by Fortune as one of China’s 50 most influential business figures. That same year, she ranked sixth on the Hurun list highlighting the world’s richest self-made women, with an estimated fortune of 53 billion RMB.
The following year, Forbes included her among the leading 20 Chinese businesswomen.
China Daily has consistently listed her among China’s ten wealthiest women: fifth place in 2018, fourth in 2019, and seventh in 2020.
Personal life
Fan is married to Chen Jianhua (陈建华), who is also a billionaire and holds the positions of chairperson and director at Hengli Group. Their daughter, Chen Yiting (陈逸婷), born in 1993, serves as a director at Tongli Lake Travel (同里旅游), a subsidiary under Hengli Group.
Fan currently lives in Suzhou.
See also
External links
- Hengli Group
- Hengli Petrochemical (Chinese)
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Living people
- Billionaires from Jiangsu
- Chinese chief executives
- Chinese women chief executives
- Female billionaires
- Petrochemical industry
- 20th-century Chinese businesswomen
- 20th-century Chinese businesspeople
- 21st-century Chinese businesswomen
- 21st-century Chinese businesspeople
- People from Jiangsu
- Nanjing Normal University alumni
- 1967 births