Thomas Fung
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fung Wing-fat was born in 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...

. He is the eldest son of Fung King Hey
Fung King Hey
Fung King Hey , was born in Guangzhou, mainland China. He is one of the founders of Sun Hung Kai & Co. and was reputed as “King of securities world” and “Godfather of the stock market”...

, the legendary founder of Sun Hung Kai (SHK) Finance in Hong Kong. He is the founder of the Fairchild Group
Fairchild Group
The Fairchild Group is a business conglomerate in Canada, with headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Fairchild Group operates various media properties under the Fairchild Media Group name. Fairchild operates Fairchild TV , Fairchild Radio , and Mandarin broadcaster TalentVision...

, a multi-million-dollar media and real estate empire, the builder of Asian-theme shopping malls and Chinese-language television networks and radio stations. Time magazine named him one of the most influential people in Canada.

Early life

Fung spent most of his teen years in Hong Kong, emigrating to Canada in 1967. He graduated from Magee high school.

He took baking courses in Japan during his 20s. When he returned to Vancouver in 1984, he founded the first of four Saint Germain Bakery outlets. He studied film-making on the side at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 when he was sent to New York City to train at the Merrill Lynch brokerage firm. Then he went back to Hong Kong, staying 10 years and starting a film-production company, an advertising agency and a public relations firm.

Career

In 1984, Thomas Fung moved to Vancouver. He chose to build his empire in Canada while his brother Tony continued on in Hong Kong. Fung conceived and built the current Aberdeen Centre
Aberdeen Centre
Aberdeen Centre is a shopping mall in Richmond, British Columbia. It is located in the Golden Village district on Hazelbridge Way, bordered by Cambie Road to the north. It primarily serves the Asian Canadian population in the Metro Vancouver area, but is striving towards an appeal to Western...

 in 1989 as North America's first multicultural retail experience.

Fung’s Fairchild Group owns and operates two national TV stations, five multicultural radio stations, local largest Chinese language magazine, an e-commerce IT company in Canada.

On top of his business endeavours, Fung provides significant support to non-profit organizations such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra performing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Over 240,000 people attend its live performances each year. It was founded in 1930 and plays in 12 venues. Its home is the Orpheum theatre. With an annual operating budget of $9.5 million, it is the...

, Royal Conservatory of Music
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a music school and performance venue in Toronto, Canada. Other uses of the term include:*The Madrid Royal Conservatory, Spain*The Royal Academy of Music, London, United Kingdom...

, Children’s Hospital, United Way, World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...

, and others.

Honors

The Canadian federal government had appointed Mr. Fung as the Ministerial Strategic Advisor for Canada's Global Commerce directive. Business in Vancouver Magazine profiled Thomas Fung as one of the top 10 business person in the decade. Vancouver Magazine named Thomas Fung as one of the Power 50 in 5 consecutive years. Vancouver Board of Trade has awarded Mr. Fung the highest honour "Spirit of Vancouver Leadership Award".

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK