The 85-year-old Korean owns the Pelorus and Kogo yachts, but is known for giving away part of his fortune.
Beyond the large sums of money that some have billionairesThere are a few cases of many who have contributed with donations over the years, and who have reached immense figures.
Mark Zuckerberg, Bloomberg, MacKenzie Scott, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet, among others, have donated part of their money to various social causes. A particular case is that of the Korean Samuel Tak Lee, who parted with nearly $130 millionHere is the story of this generous magnate.
The story of Samuel Tak Lee, the billionaire of generous donations
He earned a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964. Lee then earned a MBA from Harvard Business School.
After finishing his studies, Lee returned to Hong Kong to join Prudential Enterprise, the real estate company founded by his father and uncle in 1958He took over the entire business from his brother Lee Tak-Yan in 1985. Prudential Enterprises owns the Prudential Hotel in Hong Kong and has significant holdings in Hong Kong, Japan, Switzerland and Singapore.
In the UK, He bought the 14-acre Langham estate in the London borough of Fitzrovia in 1994.A real estate portfolio that Lee indirectly established in Tokyo in 1999 was eventually sold in 2017 for about $1.2 billion.
By 2019, Lee had become the largest shareholder in Shaftesbury plc, a large London property investment trust with a 26.3% stake. There was persistent media speculation that Lee would eventually bid for control of Shaftesbury.
Donations
In 2007, Lee awarded HK$9 million to the Hong Kong Diocesan Boys’ School, where he was a pupil from 1951 to 1958. The donation was made to fund the growth of residential students with a new dormitory block for the school. One of Lee’s sons was studying at the school at the time.
Lee also gave $118 million in 2015 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which were used to establish a real estate entrepreneurship lab focused on China. The lab has been researching the impact of poor urban air quality on residents’ health, social life and behaviour.
How much is Samuel Tak Lee’s fortune, according to Forbes
Lee has been noted for his vigorous defense of the legal rights and business interests of his estate. According to Forbes, he had a net worth of $3.6 billion, as of January 2021.
Source: Ambito
