Essay

Tan Sri Robert Kuok Hock Nien

1.0 Biography

If there really is a real sugar daddy, it’s Robert Kuok. Not because he is a Casanova or some sort, but simply because the sugar business made him a celebrity business. Robert Kuok Hock Nien was born in October 6, 1923, in Johor Bahru and he was the youngest among three brothers. He is an influential Malaysian Chinese businessman. According to Forbes his net worth is estimated to be around $9 billion, making him the richest person in Southeast Asia.

Most of his businesses are privately held by him or his family. Apart from a multitude of enterprises in Malaysia, his companies have investments in many countries throughout Asia. His business interests range from sugarcane plantations (Perlis Plantations Bhd), sugar refinery, flour milling, animal feed, oil and mining to finance, hotels, properties, trading and freight (International Shipping Corporation, Transmile Group) and publishing.

Just like Boon Siew and Lim Goh Tong who migrated from China, Kuok's father arrived in Malaya from Fujian, China at the beginning of the 20th century. And unlike the late Boon Siew and Goh Tong, Kuok is one educated wealthy man. He received his early education in an English school and later enrolled into the Raffles College in Singapore, with Lee Kuan Yew as one of his school mates. He had a short stint working with Japanese company, Mitsubishi after his studies in Raffles was halted due to Japanese invasion, before helping his father with trading business.

After his father’s death, Kuok and his two brothers made a decision to continue the business legacy, starting with sugar distribution and a few other commodities under the new post-colonial government. Their business skills were picked up from their father, who was an avid trader. In 1961, he made a coup by buying cheap sugar from India before the prices shot up. Kuok’s massive involvement in sugar industry allowed his company to become the government’s...