Pollyanna Chu
Pollyanna Chu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yuet Wah Lee 1958 British Hong Kong |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, business executive |
| Known for | CEO of Kingston Financial Group, Chairwoman of Sincere Watch (Hong Kong) Limited, CEO of Golden Resorts Group |
Pollyanna Chu (Chu Yuet Wah; ) is a prominent Hong Kong entrepreneur and a key leader at Kingston Financial Group, Golden Resorts Group, and Sincere Watch. As of January 2018, her net worth was estimated at US $10.2 billion, positioning her as the 14th wealthiest individual in Hong Kong.
Early life
Born in 1958 in British Hong Kong under the name Yuet Wah Lee, Chu was raised in the Aberdeen district of Hong Kong.[1]
Education
At the age of 18, Chu relocated to the United States where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from Golden Gate University. Additionally, she was honored with an honorary Doctorate in Business Management from York University located in Toronto.[2]
Personal life
While studying in San Francisco, Chu met Nicholas Chu,[3] whom she later married.[4] Together they have a son named Kingston, who was born in San Francisco and grew up in Hong Kong.[5][6] In November 2015, Kingston wed Kelly Lo in Hong Kong.[7]
In the December 2021 Hong Kong legislative election, Chu exercised four votes, accounting for roughly 0.0338% of the total voting power—equivalent to about 6,801 times that of an average voter.[8]
Career
Following her father’s advice, Pollyanna and her husband Nicholas Chu ventured into property investment and moved back to Hong Kong in 1992 to broaden their business ventures.
Kingston Financial Group
Building on their achievements in California’s real estate market, the couple established Kingston Financial Group Ltd in 1992, naming it after their son. Pollyanna took on the role of managing director while Nicholas served as co-manager. The company initially concentrated on IPO distribution along with mergers and acquisitions.
By 2016, Chu had assumed the positions of CEO and executive director at Kingston Financial Group and became its principal shareholder.
Securities and Futures Commission
In 1997, Chu was penalized for operating as an unregistered dealer and, in 2003, faced allegations of market manipulation brought by the Securities and Futures Commission.
Golden Resorts Group
Chu serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Golden Resorts Group Limited, a company engaged in the hospitality and gaming industries, notably overseeing Macau’s Casa Real Hotel and Grandview Hotel.
Sincere Watch
In 2012, Chu acquired full control of Sincere Watch Limited, which is managed by her son, Kingston Chu. That same year, she assumed the roles of executive director and chairman at Sincere Watch (Hong Kong) Limited.
Additionally, in 2012, she was named chairwoman of Franck Muller’s Asia-Pacific division.
Organization
- Chief Executive Officer of Kingston Financial Group (1031.HK)
- Chairman of Sincere Watch (Hong Kong) Limited (444.HK)
Awards
Chu was honored with an "Outstanding Chinese Prize" in 2008. Forbes Asia included her in the "Women In The Mix" list in 2012, ranked her as the #35 Power Woman in 2017, placed her at #549 among billionaires in 2016, and listed her as #16 on Hong Kong's 50 Richest in 2016.
References
- ↑ "Wealthx.com Yuet Wah Chu". Retrieved Nov 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Kingston Financial Group Limited official website - Board of Directors".
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedzhuhong - ↑ Flannery, Russell. "The Billionaire Chus And Kingston Financial Look To Make A Mark Beyond Hong Kong". Forbes. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ↑ "#32 Pollyanna Chu". Forbes. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ↑ Kan, Francis (1 March 2014). "The Peak Interview: Kingston Chu". The Peak. The Peak. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ↑ Barlow, Christian. "Inside Kingston Chu and Kelly Lo's Wedding". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ↑ FactWire (2021-12-15). "Factwire: 41 privileged voters have 7,200 times greater power than a regular Hong Kong voter following election revamp". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2021-12-16.