This ends a leadership gap that began in December 2022, when former CEO Lim Beng Chee stepped down after nearly six years at the helm. He remains on the board as a non-executive director.
Leadership unified under Kuok
According to the company’s statement, “The combination of the roles of chairman and chief executive officer under the leadership of Ms Kuok is expected to enhance the company’s strategic cohesion and operational execution by ensuring a unified and consistent vision across all levels of leadership.”
The 47-year-old has been a key figure in Shangri-La Asia’s boardroom for years, joining as executive director in June 2016 and becoming chair in January 2017. The company credits her with setting strategic priorities and directing long-term goals.
SCMP reports that she quietly stepped in to lead the group after her brother stepped down at the beginning of last year. She had served as deputy chair for six months prior.
From Harvard to hospitality
Kuok holds a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. She’s the sixth of eight children of Robert Kuok Hock-nien, the founder of Shangri-La and Malaysia’s wealthiest man, with a net worth of US$11.4 billion according to Forbes.Outside hospitality, she has held top editorial roles, including chief executive of the South China Morning Post from January to June 2012. The newspaper and its parent SCMP Group were later acquired by Alibaba in 2015, ending its control by Kerry Holdings, the Kuok family’s flagship company. She also previously served as a director of the Bangkok Post.Despite her growing influence, Kuok avoids media interviews and keeps a low public profile.
Business interests and salary
According to a report by CNA, Kuok’s financial interests in Shangri-La are substantial. She holds a total direct and indirect interest in 95.57 million shares of the company. She also has more than a 5 percent stake in Kerry Group, a major shareholder in Shangri-La Asia.
Under her current contract, she is entitled to a monthly base salary of HK$576,000 (around US$73,000), along with a discretionary bonus and pension.
Shangri-La Asia, listed in both Hong Kong and Singapore, operates over 100 hotels worldwide under four brands: Shangri-La, Kerry Hotels, JEN and Traders. The company, which began as a single hotel in Singapore in 1971, now manages assets worth US$13.2 billion. The Kuok family holds stakes in 77 of those properties. The group also has related ventures in wine, golf courses and real estate.
In 2024, Shangri-La Asia reported revenue of US$2.19 billion, a 2 percent increase from the previous year. However, net profit fell by 12.3 percent to US$161.4 million. Recovery in Hong Kong and the Philippines drove revenue, but this was offset by weaker performance in mainland China, Singapore and the UK, as reported in the group’s annual statement.
As of the end of 2023, the group had around 25,500 employees. That marked a 2.3 percent drop from the previous year. Yet even during the height of the pandemic, the company was cautious about job cuts. In a 2023 interview cited by SCMP, Kuok said the group had laid off “the least number of people in the industry”.
With both strategic oversight and operational control now in her hands, Kuok is expected to drive the next phase of Shangri-La Asia’s recovery and growth. Her track record within the company and broader Kuok business empire suggests continuity — not just in leadership, but in long-term vision.
