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FORBES ASIA MARCH 2020COVER STORYHong Kong’s richest man
Lee Shau Kee, 92, marked
a milestone last May when he
stepped down from running his
flagship Henderson Land after
43 years, and handed the reins
to his two sons, Peter and Martin,
making them joint chairmen. So
how does the pair plan to lead
one of Asia’s largest and most
successful real estate firms?
→
The elder Peter Lee Ka Kit, 56, and the young-
er Martin Lee Ka Shing, 48, answered this ques-
tion—and many more—in an exclusive interview
held in January, the first-ever by the two broth-
ers together (the father remains an executive di-
rector on the Henderson Land board).
The pair were not given an easy start in their
new roles—including protests and a recession in
Hong Kong, the U.S.-China trade war (Hender-
son has massive mainland China investments)
and dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
“There were a lot of things to do in the first year,”
deadpans Martin.
They work together, they say, with a solid re-
lationship of mutual respect and trust, formed
in childhood. “It’s like yin and yang,” says Peter.
During the interview, they often mirror each oth-
er’s comments. “We each have our own expertise,
and we respect each other’s views,” says Peter.
“It’s like a partnership. For more than 15 years,
we’ve been working this way. I’m lucky to have
my brother with me.”
When their father first raised the topic of suc-
cession with them, the two were already work-
ing at Henderson. Peter joined first, in 1985. Af- DALE DE LA REY/AFP/GETTY IMAGESTwo International Finance Centre (middle), Hong Kong’s second-tallest skyscraper, which is part of the larger IFC complex.