Robert Kuok is Forbes’ wealthiest man in Malaysia for the tenth straight year. The founder of Kuok Group has an estimated net worth of 12.1 billion dollars.

The self-made billionaire was a student at Raffles Institute and the English College Johore Bahru English Collegian. He entered the business world as an office boy, and with the help of his relatives, started his company and turned it into what it is today. 

After he married and his children grew, Kuok employed them at his company. Kuok was married twice and has eight children. One of his sons is the Chairman of the Kuok Brothers.

Kuok is involved in the palm oil, sugar, logistics, mining, publishing, real estate, and hospitality sectors. He raised 300 million dollars in 2014 with the Singapore listing of his PACC Offshore Services Holdings. The Holdings Company is Asia’s largest operator of vessels for offshore oil and gas exploration. Furthermore, Kuok Group services as an umbrella to a long list of companies in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.

A major foundation of his wealth is a stake he has in Wilmar International, which is a palm oil giant in Singapore, and is run by his nephew. Kuok also is the leader of one of the world’s profitable daily newspaper called South China Morning Post.

With all the success he has acquired, it is surprising that Kuok is shy and does not enjoy stepping into the media limelight. Due to this, a family member or himself privately hold most of his businesses.

His companies have investments in several countries. Some of these countries include Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, China, Indonesia, and Australia. Only three Malaysians have a net worth of 5 billion dollars or more, and it is no wonder why Robert Kuok is one of them.