Forbes just released the list of 2009 World Billionaires List. We combed through the list to find the Asian billionaires. Of the top 50 world’s billionaires, only 5 billionaire are Asian. Some of the interesting thing we learned were the way billions are made is pretty diverse. Billionaires on the list made their fortunes from things like Redbull, 7-eleven, Nintendo, Espirit, Kingston Technology and more. Take a look at he list:
#7 Mukesh Ambani
Net Worth:$19.5 bil
Fortune:inherited and growing
Source:petrochemicals
Age:51
Country Of Citizenship:India
Residence:Mumbai
Industry:Manufacturing
Education:University of Bombay, Bachelor of Arts / Science, Stanford University, Drop Out
Marital Status:married, 3 children
Oversees Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company by market cap despite stock falling 40% in past year. Merging his Reliance Petroleum with flagship Reliance Industries. As part of deal, will exercise right to buy back Chevron’s 5% stake in Reliance Petroleum at $1.20 per share—the same price at which he sold it 3 years ago. Today the stock trades for $1.80 a share. Increased stake in Reliance Industries in October; paid $3.4 billion to convert 120 million preferential warrants into shares. Reliance Petroleum refinery on India’s western coast began operating in December despite falling global demand and declining margins. Late father Dhirubhai founded Reliance and built it into a massive conglomerate. After he died Mukesh and his brother, Anil, ran the family business together for a brief time. But siblings feuded over control; mother eventually brokered split of assets. Brothers may be looking to bury hatchet; played joint hosts at mother’s recent 75th-birthday bash. Has yet to move into his 27-story home that he’s building at a reported cost of $1 billion. Ardent fan of Bollywood films. Wife, Nita, oversees school named after his father.
#8 Lakshmi Mittal
Net Worth:$19.3 bil
Fortune:inherited and growing
Source:steel
Age:58
Country Of Citizenship:India
Residence:London
Industry:Steel
Education:St Xavier’s College Calcutta, Bachelor of Arts / Science,
Marital Status:married, 2 children
Indian immigrant heads world’s largest steel company; ArcelorMittal was formed via hostile takeover 3 years ago. Stock in company makes up bulk of his fortune; shares at a 4-year low with steel prices down 75% since last summer. Company forced to pay heavy fines after a French antitrust investigation found 10 companies guilty of price-fixing in European steel markets. Arcelor posted $2.6 billion loss in most recent quarter; announced plans to slow acquisitions, cut capital expenditures, pay down debt. Started in family steel business in the 1970s, branched out on his own in 1994. Initially bought up steel mills on the cheap in Eastern Europe. Company bought 19.9% stake in Australia’s Macarthur Coal last year. Also owns pieces of Mumbai’s Indiabulls Group, London’s RAB Capital; owns stake in, sits on board of Goldman Sachs. Holds substantial cash; owns 12-bedroom mansion in London’s posh Kensington neighborhood.
#16 Li Ka-shing
Net Worth:$16.2 bil
Fortune:self made
Source:diversified
Age:80
Country Of Citizenship:Hong Kong
Residence:Hong Kong
Industry:Diversified
Education:High School, Drop Out,
Marital Status:widowed, 2 children
“Superman’s” net worth is down $10 billion in the past year as stock of his publicly traded conglomerates Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa tumbled. The 2 companies are about to start construction on a property project in Shanghai. HW’s retail group plans to open 120 stores in China in 2009. Through the 2 companies, Li is world’s largest operator of container terminals, world’s largest health and beauty retailer by number of outlets, a major supplier of electricity to Hong Kong and a real estate developer. His second-largest holding: Canadian oil firm Husky Energy, which cut spending by almost a third for 2009. Charitable foundation recently raised $510 million by selling 40% of its stake in Bank of China. Avid golfer plays almost every day; reportedly sank his 15th hole-in-one in September. Poor immigrant sold plastic flowers in Hong Kong in the 1950s. Eldest son, Victor, helps him run businesses; son Richard struck out on his own in early 1990s and is a billionaire in his own right.
#32 Kwok family
Net Worth:$10.5 bil
Fortune:inherited
Source:real estate
Age:NA
Country Of Citizenship:Hong Kong
Residence:Hong Kong
Industry:Real Estate
Education:NA,
Marital Status:NA,
Family behind one of Hong Kong’s most storied real estate firms was thrown into tumult even before property prices tumbled. Eldest brother Walter stepped down from 18-year chairmanship of Sun Hung Kai Properties last May after disputing with his 2 younger siblings, Raymond and Thomas. Mother Kwong Siu-hing, 80, took over as chairman. Stock down 50% in past year. Firm still pushing ahead: opened a W hotel in Hong Kong in January and has plans to open another in Shanghai by 2010. In late-February sold 150 luxury apartments in its Kowloon residential development, generating $450 million in revenue. Family also owns interests in telecom SmarTone-Vodafone and city bus operator KMB.
#43 Lee Shau Kee
Net Worth:$9.0 bil
Fortune:self made
Source:real estate
Age:81
Country Of Citizenship:Hong Kong
Residence:Hong Kong
Industry:Real Estate
Education:NA,
Marital Status:divorced, 5 children
“Stock God of Asia” is proving mortal. His biggest holding, Henderson Land Development, lost more than half its value in past year. Lee has been engaged in property development in Hong Kong for more than 5 decades. Chairman of Henderson since 1976, also chairs the Hong Kong and China Gas abd Miramar Hotel and Investment; vice chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited and director of Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) and The Bank of East Asia. Donated $16 million for a library at Shanghai’s Fudan University.
Others on the list:
#59 Sunil Mittal & family (India)
#62 Ananda Krishnan (Malaysia)
#62 Robert Kuok (Malaysia)
#76 Tadashi Yanai & family (Japan)
#83 Azim Premji (India)
#86 Shashi & Ravi Ruia (India)
#87 Ng Teng Fong & family (Singapore)
#87 Patrick Soon-Shiong (USA)
#93 Kunio Busujima & family (Japan)
#98 Kushal Pal Singh (India)
#110 Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan) – This guy owns Nintendo
#124 Kumar Birla (India)
#124 Akira Mori & family (Japan)
#132 Cheng Yu-tung (Hong Kong)
#132 Joseph Lau (Hong Kong)
#151 Eitaro Itoyama (Japan)
#151 Masayoshi Son (Japan) – remember his name from the dot-com days
#151 Chaleo Yoovidhya (Thailand) – This guy owns Redbull (yes, the energy drink)
#164 Nobutada Saji & family (Japan) – This family own Suntory (their drinks are everywhere)
#178 Hiroshi Mikitani (Japan)- this guys owns Rakuten (that’s the Amazon of Asia)
#183 Adi Godrej & family (India)
#183 Tsai Wan-Tsai & family (Taiwan)
#205 Lee Kun-Hee (Korea) – this guy owns Samsung
#205 Liu Yongxing (China)
#205 Dilip Shanghvi (India)
#234 Savitri Jindal (India) – one of the few females on the list
#234 Lee Shin Cheng (Malaysia)
#234 Henry Sy & family (Philippines)
#234 Zhang Jindong (China)
#246 Malvinder & Shivinder Singh (India)
#246 Tsai Eng Meng (Taiwan)
#246 Peter Woo & family (Hong Kong)
#246 Zhou Chengjian & family (China)
#261 Liu Yonghao (China)
#261 David Sun (USA) – this guys started Kingston Technology (computer memory)
#261 Takemitsu Takizaki (Japan)
#261 Teh Hong Piow (Malaysia)
#261 John Tu (USA) – the other guy that started Kingston Technology
#296 Yang Huiyan (China) – she’s only 27 and the richest female in China
#305 Masatoshi Ito (Japan) – this guy owns 7-Eleven stores
#305 Michael Ying (Hong Kong) – this guy made his fortune off Esprit clothes and married actress Brigitte Lin
#318 Masahiro Miki (Japan)
#318 G M Rao (India)
#318 Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi (Thailand) – this guy owns Chang Beer
#334 Terry Gou (Taiwan) – this guys company assembles Apple iPods, iPhones; Nokia cell phones, Nintendo Wii systems (that’s a lot of electronics)
#334 Micky Jagtiani (India)
#334 Shen Wenrong (China)
#376 Quek Leng Chan (Malaysia)
#376 Wee Cho Yaw & family (Singapore)
#376 Zong Qinghou (China) – this guy owns beverage maker Wahaha
#397 Gautam Adani (India)
#397 Chen Din Hwa (Hong Kong)
#397 He Xiangjian & family (China)
#397 Indu Jain (India)
#397 Yeoh Tiong Lay & family (Singapore)
2009 Forbes World Billionaires List
 |
 |