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World's top 5 real estate tycoons
Seven of the top 10 real estate magnates in the world are from Asia, according to a list compiled by Wealth-X. We take a look at the world's top five tycoons who have made the majority of their fortunes from real estate development, investment or management business.
Image source: Official websites
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Wang Jianlin
Wang Jianlin, a 1954 born Chinese businessman and philanthropist, serves as the chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group, which is also China's largest real estate company, as well as the world's largest movie theater operator. He owns 20% of the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid.
After sixteen years in the People's Liberation Army, Wang started working as the office administrator for the Xigang District in the city of Dalian. The Economist called him "a man of Napoleonic ambition.
Image source: wanda-group.com
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Lee Shau-kee
Born on January 29, 1928 in Shunde, Guangdong, China, Lee Shau-kee is a Hong Kong-based real estate tycoon and majority owner of Henderson Land Development, a property conglomerate with interests in properties, hotels, restaurants and internet services.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index listed him as the 19th richest person in the world in 2012. According to Forbes, his personal wealth is estimated to be $24.8 billion He is also affectionately known as Uncle Four.
Image source: hld.com
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bren.jpg
Born May 11, 1932, he is an American businessman who is chairman of the Irvine Company, a US real estate investment company, which he wholly owns. Bren built his first house in Newport Beach with a $10,000 loan, in 1958.
He began his business career in 1958 when he founded the Bren Company, which built homes in Orange County, California. Forbes, in its 2015 edition of, "The 400 Richest Americans", ranked Bren as the wealthiest real estate developer in the US and 30th "Richest American" with an estimated net worth of $15.2 billion.
In 2008, BusinessWeek named Bren one of the top ten philanthropists in the nation, with his contributions to various causes such as education, conservation and research among other areas exceeding $1 billion.
Image source: donaldbren.com
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Hui Ka Yan
With an estimated riches of $6.2 billion, he is a Chinese businessman and the founder and chairman of Evergrande Group, a Chinese real estate development company. Xu Jiayin was born in a rural family in Jutaigang Village in China.
Image source: evergrande.com
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Joseph Lau
With the net worth of around $10.9 billion Joseph Lau is a Hong Kong real estate investor who owns a 61% stake in Chinese Estate Holdings, one of Hong Kong’s largest real estate investors. He is a wine lover.
It is estimated that Lau owns more than 10,000 bottles of red wine as well as a Boeing 787 private jet, and a multi-million art collection. According to the Sunday Times, Lau owns one of the world's fine least 10,000 bottles, and is an avid art collector.
In May 2007, Lau was revealed to be among the first seven purchasers of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet for private use.
Image source: Wikipedia
