Michael Kadoorie
Encyclopedia
The Hon. Sir Michael David Kadoorie, GBS
Gold Bauhinia Star
The Gold Bauhinia Star is the highest rank in Order of the Bauhinia Star in Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system of the Order of the British Empire after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special...

(born 1941, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

) is a business executive and philanthropist. As of March 2011, he is the 6th wealthiest person in Hong Kong, with the wealth of his family estimated to be 6.1 billion US dollars according to Forbes' annual list of billionaires.

The son of business tycoon Lawrence Kadoorie (1899–1993) and his wife, Muriel Gubbay, Michael Kadoorie was educated at Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey, commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a school, in Gstaad, Switzerland. It is described as one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world. The school was founded by Paul-Émile Carnal in 1880 on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey near the town...

 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. His family’s roots in business in the Far East go back to his grandfather, a descendant of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

i Jews originally from Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

, who first settled in Shanghai in 1880. After a spell in Bombay, India, his grandfather made a fortune in Shanghai, mostly lost in 1949, and later, in Hong Kong through finance, real estate and utilities. Headquartered in Hong Kong soon after 1949, Michael Kadoorie's father and uncle successfully expanded the family businesses into a diversified group, led by the company flagship CLP Holdings Ltd.
China Light and Power
The CLP Group and its holding company, CLP Holdings Ltd , is a Hong Kong electric company that businesses in a number of Asian markets and Australia....



Michael Kadoorie is the Chairman of CLP Holdings Ltd.
China Light and Power
The CLP Group and its holding company, CLP Holdings Ltd , is a Hong Kong electric company that businesses in a number of Asian markets and Australia....

 which his family founded in 1890 and in which they still hold a 35% stake. The utility company provides electricity to 75% of Hong Kong as sole operator (licensed through a Scheme of Control) in Kowloon and the New Territories, and has equity interests in power plants in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. He is also the Chairman of the family's second largest listed group, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, owners and operators of the world-renowned Peninsula Hotel Group
The Peninsula Hong Kong
The Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most internationally recognizable hotels in Hong Kong. Opened in 1928, it is Hong Kong's most historical hotel. It is located at the junction of Nathan Road and Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong...

. Michael Kadoorie also controls and is a director of Metrojet Ltd.
Metrojet Ltd.
Metrojet, also known as Metrojet Ltd., is an airline, based at Hong Kong International Airport, which operates non-scheduled passenger services in the region...

 Heliservices (Hong Kong) Limited and has initiated CLP Research Institute (a subsidiary of CLP Holdings which looks into renewable energy development). He holds a number of directorships in other non-Kadoorie companies. He was a member of the Council of the University of Hong Kong and, in 2000, the Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building opened at the university.

Awards

A trustee of the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, Michael Kadoorie was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor by the government of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and a Commander of the Order of Léopold II
Order of Leopold II
The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Léopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as king of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium, incorporated into the Belgian awards system...

 of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

.

He was also awarded a knighthood, as a Knight Bachelor, in the Queen's Birthday Honours List on 11 June 2005.

In 2004, the University of Hong Kong awarded him an honorary LLD.

Personal life

A photography buff, Kadoorie is also a helicopter pilot and a fan of classic cars. He is the owner of a number of rare automobiles including a Type 57 Bugatti
Bugatti
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....

, a 1932 Phantom II Thrupp & Maberly, a 1934 Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...

 J12 Van Vooren Cabriolet, a 1969 P400 S Miura Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...

 and a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.

In 1998, he spent two months recovering from serious injuries at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England after having an accident in his vintage Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

when the spokes in two of the rebuilt wheels tore through the tyres.

Family

He lives in Hong Kong with his wife, Lady Betty Kadoorie, and their grown children, Bettina, Natalie and Philip.
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