Robert Kuok  -The Sugar King of Asia

Born: 6th Oct 1923,Johor Bahru, Malaysia Age: 88 Occupation: Former Chairman, Kuok Group, Kuok Brothers Ltd Education: Graduate, Raffles College, Singapore Fortune: USD $33 Billion

The moniker Sugar King of Asia has long been associated with Robert Kuok even after he has since disposed of his sugar refining assets that he started off his empire with. An old boy of Raffles College in Singapore, he was a schoolmate of Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in the late 40s. Legendary Malaysian-Chinese tycoon Robert Kuok keeps a low profile when it comes to press interviews. Kuok's handlers believe there is nothing wrong with keeping their 88-year-old boss under wraps.  They point out that he built his empire through vision, tenacity, and risk taking.When asked, Kuok’s aides will invariably say Mr. Kuok is a true gentleman. He has the power to make his opponents yield willingly, and is a genuinely amicable man. He also makes it a personal effort to ensure that all his employees embrace this gentlemanly way of conducting business.

Kuok’s gentlemanly ways are also well-recognized among his peers. He does not seek the limelight, preferring to live a life of thrift and simplicity, winning him accolades and admiration near and far. Kuok has a reputation for being soft-spoken and polite. The habitual smoker once asked the crew of his own plane if he could light up. “There is no substitute for hard work and thinking up good, honest business plans and, without respite, pushing them along. There will always be business on earth. Be humble; be straight; don’t be crooked; don’t take advantage of people”. “My brothers and I owe our upbringing completely to our mother. Mother gently, and sometimes strongly, drummed into our minds the values of honesty, of never cheating, lying, stealing or envying other people their material wealth or physical”, he remarked.  Asked reverently about his "sense of mission" as a great entrepreneur, he bluntly replied that "the most important thing was to make money". And what was the secret of successful business leadership? "Like Genghis Khan in his best days, you have to share the spoils of victory," he replied. To be a successful businessman, I think you really need to brush all your senses every morning, just as you brush your teeth. I coined the phrase “honing your senses” in business: your vision, hearing, sense of smell, touch and taste. All these senses come in very useful.

When I hire staff I look for honest, hardworking, intelligent people. When I look candidates in the eye, they must appear very honest to me. I do not look for MBAs or exceptional students. You may hire a brilliant man, summa cum laude, first-class honors, but if his mind is not a fair one or if he has a warped attitude in life, does brilliance really matter? “The success of a company must depend on the unity of all its employees. We are all in the same boat rowing against the current and tide and every able person must pull the oars to move the boat forward.” I recall the saying failure is the mother of success. But in the last thirty years of my business life, I have come to the conclusion that the reverse phrase is even truer of today’s world, Success often breeds failure, because it makes you arrogant, complacent and, therefore, lower your guard. Wealth should be used for two main purposes. One: for the generation of greater wealth; in other words, you continue to invest, creating prosperity and jobs in the country. Two: part of your wealth should be applied to the betterment of mankind, either by acts of pure philanthropy or by investment in research and development along the frontiers of science, space, health care and so forth he remarked as he ended 1 of his rare speeches. PYT.com.