Peter Woo
Encyclopedia
Peter Woo Kwong Ching GBS
, JP
MBA (Chinese
:吳光正) (born 1946) is Chairman of Wheelock and Company Limited and The Wharf Holdings Limited
.
, China and moved to Hong Kong
in 1949. Woo attended St. Stephen’s College in Hong Kong and went on to attain his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Cincinnati
, USA majoring in Physics and Mathematics. He later obtained his MBA from Columbia Business School
in New York, USA.
After graduating, Woo worked at Chase Manhattan Bank
in New York and Hong Kong. In 1975 he joined his father-in-law, the late Sir Yue-Kong Pao
’s Worldwide Shipping Group and was later appointed vice-chairman for the company. In 1986, Woo's father-in-law retired and appointed him the head of the Wheelock / Wharf part of the empire, while putting the shipping interests (now Bergesen Worldwide
) under the control of another son in law, Helmut Sohmen.
Woo’s diversified interests are reflected in his businesses, vastly focusing in real estate development in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. The group owns several investment properties such as Harbour City and Times Square in Hong Kong, as well as operating other businesses such as i-Cable Communications, Wharf T&T, Modern Terminals Limited and Marco Polo Hotels
. Woo also owns the privately-held, high-end luxury retail group LCJG, which includes Lane Crawford
and the premier fashion house, Joyce. Woo also serves on the advisory board for various Fortune 500
companies and was appointed to various public service positions over the years. Currently he is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Miscellaneous Projects:
in 1993 and was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star
in 1998. He was also appointed Officer of the Order of Leopold by the late King Baudouin I of Belgium in 1993.
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...
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
MBA (Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
:吳光正) (born 1946) is Chairman of Wheelock and Company Limited and The Wharf Holdings Limited
The Wharf (Holdings)
The Wharf Limited , or Wharf in short, is a company founded in 1886 in Hong Kong. As its name suggests, the company's original business was in running wharfage and dockside warehousing, and it was originally known as The Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited...
.
Education and career
Woo was born in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China and moved to 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...
in 1949. Woo attended St. Stephen’s College in Hong Kong and went on to attain his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, USA majoring in Physics and Mathematics. He later obtained his MBA from Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the business school of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students...
in New York, USA.
After graduating, Woo worked at Chase Manhattan Bank
Chase Manhattan Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
in New York and Hong Kong. In 1975 he joined his father-in-law, the late Sir Yue-Kong Pao
Yue-Kong Pao
Sir Yue-Kong Pao CBE, JP , often referred to as "Sir Y.K. Pao" or just "Y.K.", was the founder of Hong Kong's World-Wide Shipping Group which in the 20 years from purchasing its first second-hand ship in 1955 became by far the largest shipping company in the world with over...
’s Worldwide Shipping Group and was later appointed vice-chairman for the company. In 1986, Woo's father-in-law retired and appointed him the head of the Wheelock / Wharf part of the empire, while putting the shipping interests (now Bergesen Worldwide
Bergesen Worldwide
The BW Group, previously Bergesen Worldwide is an international maritime group that through its subsidiaries operates within the tanker, gas and offshore segments, with a fleet of more than 150 owned, part-owned or controlled vessels...
) under the control of another son in law, Helmut Sohmen.
Woo’s diversified interests are reflected in his businesses, vastly focusing in real estate development in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. The group owns several investment properties such as Harbour City and Times Square in Hong Kong, as well as operating other businesses such as i-Cable Communications, Wharf T&T, Modern Terminals Limited and Marco Polo Hotels
Marco Polo Hotels Group
Marco Polo Hotels Group is a hotel chain group based in Hong Kong. It operates hotels in the Asia-Pacific region including Hong Kong, Mainland China and the Philippines. Its hotels in Hong Kong are all located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wharf Limited...
. Woo also owns the privately-held, high-end luxury retail group LCJG, which includes Lane Crawford
Lane Crawford
Lane Crawford is a retailing company with specialty stores selling designer label luxury goods in Hong Kong and Beijing, China....
and the premier fashion house, Joyce. Woo also serves on the advisory board for various Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies and was appointed to various public service positions over the years. Currently he is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Miscellaneous Projects:
- Appointed Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong Polytechnic UniversityThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University specialises in professional education in Hong Kong. The University’s teaching units are grouped under six faculties and two schools; the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, Faculty of Business, Faculty of Construction and Environment, Faculty of...
from 1993 to 1997. - Founding Chairman of the Hong Kong Environment and Conservation Fund Committee in 1994 until 2004.
- Was chairman of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority from 1995 to 2000
- Appointed as Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council by the HKSAR Government in 2000 to 2007.
Achievements and Honors
Woo’s commitment to the business community has garnered him much praise and recognition. In 1995 Woo was named “Leader of the Year” by the Hong Kong Standard. The HKSAR Government appointed Woo Justice of the PeaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1993 and was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star
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...
in 1998. He was also appointed Officer of the Order of Leopold by the late King Baudouin I of Belgium in 1993.
External links
- Peter Woo
- Hong Kong Portraits of Power - Evelyn Huang and Lawrence Jeffrey, Little Brown 1995, p 102
- short bios. at Forbes
- Forbes List