Kwee family (Pontiac)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Real estate development, hotel ownership |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | Henry Kwee Hian Liong |
| Headquarters | Singapore , Singapore |
Key people | Kwee Liong Keng (Managing Director), Kwee Liong Tek (Chairman), Kwee Liong Seen (Director), Kwee Liong Phing (Director) |
| Products | Luxury hotels, office properties, medical centre development |
The Kwee family is a prominent Singaporean lineage that controls the Pontiac Land Group, a privately held enterprise specializing in upscale real estate development and hotel ownership, with its headquarters based in Singapore. The group is collectively overseen by the Kwee siblings—Kwee Liong Keng, Kwee Liong Tek, Kwee Liong Seen, and Kwee Liong Phing.
Family overview
Henry Kwee Hian Liong (郭贤良), the patriarch of the Kwee brothers, was originally a Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur involved in textiles and property development who relocated from Fujian Province, China, to Singapore in 1958. He established Kwee Inc. Pte Ltd in 1959 and subsequently founded Pontiac Land Group (PLG) in 1961. Henry Kwee passed away in 1988.
The eldest sibling, Kwee Liong Keng, holds the position of managing director at PLG. He is married to Chua Lee Eng, a member of the family behind Cycle & Carriage. His public service includes serving as Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Poland. Kwee Liong Tek acts as chairman of the company. Both Kwee Liong Tek and Kwee Liong Seen are alumni of Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Additionally, Kwee Liong Seen and Kwee Liong Phing contribute as directors on the board.
Pontiac Land Group’s portfolio encompasses several luxury hotels in Singapore such as Regent Singapore, Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Conrad Centennial Singapore, and The Capella Singapore. The group also owns high-end office properties including Millenia Tower and Centennial Tower. Furthermore, PLG developed and operates the Camden Medical Centre.
In October 2013, the Kwee brothers invested $300 million in equity alongside securing an $860 million loan from Asian financial institutions to fund the 53 West 53 project in New York City—marking PLG’s inaugural significant overseas venture during a period of tightening property regulations in Singapore. In the Maldives, they undertook development of the Fari Islands archipelago featuring luxury hotel brands such as Capella Hotels & Resorts, Patina Hotels & Resorts, and The Ritz-Carlton. They are also engaged in transforming two historic sandstone structures in Sydney into a luxury hotel with 240 rooms.
The third generation includes Evan Kwee, son of Kwee Liong Tek and grandson of George Aratani. Evan serves as a director at Pontiac Land Group and as executive director of Capella Hotel Group; he is married to Claudia Sondakh. His sister Melissa Kwee is known for her social activism and previous role as CEO of Singapore’s National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre; she also holds a directorship at PLG. Their cousin Leland Kwee functions as a director at Patina Hotels and Resorts and participates as an investor.
Daughters of Kwee Liong Keng—Kwee Wei Lin and Kwee Su-Lin—occupy senior leadership roles within PLG.
As reported by Forbes in July 2019, the family’s estimated net worth stood at $5.8 billion. The Kwees reside in Singapore and actively support initiatives related to education, arts, culture, social welfare, and humanitarian efforts.