Helmut Sohmen

Last updated

Helmut Sohmen
Born (1939-12-10) 10 December 1939 (age 84)
Linz, Austria, Nazi Germany
Alma mater University of Vienna, Southern Methodist University, University of Connecticut
OccupationChairman of BW Group
SpouseAnna Pui Hing Pao
Children3
RelativesSir Yue-Kong Pao (father-in-law)

Helmut Sohmen (born 10 December 1939 in Linz, Austria) is an Austrian lawyer and businessman in Hong Kong. He was chairman of BW Group and a former Hong Kong legislator. He was formerly managing director of Dragon Air. [1]

Contents

In 2010 he was on the Forbes list with an estimated fortune of US$1.4 billion, the fourth-placed Austrian. In 2009 he was listed as the 13th richest person in Hong Kong. [2]

Early life

On 10 December 1939, Sohmen was born in Linz, Austria. Sohmen grew up in Linz.

Education

In 1958, Sohmen graduated from the Linz Realgymnasium (Fadingerschule) with distinction. He then studied law at the University of Vienna and Southern Methodist University, and won a Fulbright scholarship to continue the University of Connecticut in the United States, eventually receiving his doctorate in Vienna.

Career

Sohmen's first job was as a legal adviser to the Royal Bank of Canada in Montreal. Helmut Sohmen later interrupted his professional activity more than once to graduate as Master of Comparative Law (Southern Methodist University) and a Master of Laws.

Sir Yue-Kong Pao, Sohmen's father-in-law, owned World-Wide Shipping Group, one of the largest shipping companies in the world. In 1970 Sohmen moved with his family to Hong Kong in order to join the family business. After periods working in Bermuda (1974) and London (1977), in 1981 he finally settled in Hong Kong. With advancing age Pao gradually stepped back from day-to-day management and in 1986 Sohmen was appointed chairman of the World-Wide Shipping Group and Pao's ownership was passed to Sohmen's wife in 1989. In 2003 World-Wide completed the takeover of Norway's Bergesen fleet to become Bergesen Worldwide Ltd., since then renamed BW Group. The group includes 140 tankers and more than 4500 employees (2010).

In Nov 2014, Sohmen retired as chairman of BW Group. He is replaced by Andreas Sohmen-Pao, one of his sons. [3]

Positions held

Personal

In 1967, Sohmen married Anna Pui Hing Pao, whom he had met while studying in Canada. Sohmen has three children [6] (two sons and one daughter).

Sohmen's wife Pui Hing Anna Pao Sohmen held several functions in Hong Kong and was also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 2005 she was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star.

Awards

Foundations

Sohmen has set up a number of foundations.

In 1987 he established the Egon Sohmen Foundation in memory of his brother Egon Sohmen (1930–1977). The Foundation promotes economic research and aims to get involved in important public policy debates. For this purpose it initiated its own star-studded annual international symposia and lectures at universities where Egon Sohmen formerly worked. It issued a separate publication. Scientific Advisor until 1999 Herbert Giersch, since 2002, Bernd Hans Jurgens.

With the aim of enabling young Austrians to have their first contacts with the Asian region, in 1991 Sohmen set up the Sohmen-Far East Foundation (SFEF). Operational headquarters of the advisory board of the foundation is in his home town of Linz. Qualified scholarship recipients through these grants have the opportunity to expand their horizons and to establish business contacts.

In 1993, Sohmen established the Sohmen-China Foundation for the Promotion of Austria Society (ÖGCF) to promote friendly and cultural relations with the PRC. It supports a variety of cultural and intellectual events and supports aid for visitation programs, educational concerns, activities in Austria and the publication of relevant publications. In 1996 and 2003 in Shanghai and Beijing on Tiananmen Square, it has co-organized exhibitions.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma Lik</span> Hong Kong politician

Ma Lik, GBS, JP, was a Legislative Councillor, and was the Chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul's Co-educational College</span> Secondary School in Hong Kong

St. Paul's Co-educational College, is an Anglican secondary school located at 33 MacDonnell Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. Founded in 1915, it was a girls-only college until after World War II. The college offers the HKDSE and IBDP curricula in parallel. It is the first Round Square school in greater China. Since 2001, it has been under the Direct Subsidy Scheme. It has an affiliated primary school, making it a school of the "through-train" system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football Association of Hong Kong, China</span> Governing body of association football in Hong Kong

The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited is the governing body of association football in Hong Kong SAR of China. Its current chairman is Eric Fok and its chief executive officer is Joaquin Tam.

Chia-Wei Woo, , was the founding president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His work included raising funding and recruiting outstanding faculty for the university. With Chung Sze Yuen, Woo created an institution, including a top ranked Business School, known as the HKUST Business School. The school's MBA, EMBA and Executive Education programs have been consistently ranked as Asia's top programs, and in the World Top 50 MBA programs by the Financial Times of London. Woo retired in 2001 after 13 years of service and remains President Emeritus as well as University Professor Emeritus.

Pui Ching Middle School is a Baptist secondary school in Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Founded in 1889, it currently has sister schools in Macau and Guangzhou.

Sir John Reginald Hartnell Bond is the chairman of Swiss mining company Xstrata. He previously served as chairman of HSBC Holdings plc, spending a total of 45 years with the bank.

Sir Yue-Kong Pao CBE JP, is the founder of Hong Kong's Worldwide Shipping Group which in the 20 years from purchasing its first used ship in 1955 became by far the largest shipping company in the world with over 20 million tonnes deadweight (DWT). Anticipating the seriousness of the shipping downturn starting in the late 1970s, he drastically reduced his fleet and was able to pay off associated debt and raise cash to diversify his interests notably through the purchase of a controlling stake in The Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company Limited and later Wheelock Marden giving exposure to Hong Kong real estate, shipping terminals, retail, ferries, and trams. He was noted for his unmatched access to leaders in both the commercial and political arenas and was equally at ease with Western political leaders and the Chinese leadership in the run-up to Hong Kong's ceasing to be a British colony in 1997. He was also a generous philanthropist notably in educational projects. He died in 1991 but his corporate legacy continues to be controlled and run by his family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BW Group</span> Maritime company

BW Group is a maritime company involved in shipping, floating gas infrastructure and deep-water oil & gas production. The company has over 490 vessels managed by an international team of over 12,000 staff worldwide. The group was founded by Sir Yue-Kong Pao in Hong Kong in 1955 as World-Wide Shipping. In 2003, the company acquired Bergesen d.y. ASA, Norway's largest shipping company, which was founded in 1935 by Sigval Bergesen the Younger. In 2005, the business was re-branded as BW. With its LNG and LPG fleets combined, BW Group owns and operates the world's largest gas shipping fleet of more than 200 gas vessels, including five FSRUs. Hafnia, a member of the BW Group, operates the world's largest fleet of oil product tankers, and BW Offshore comprises the second largest number of floating oil and gas production units (FPSOs).  BW's controlled fleet of over 490 ships also includes crude oil supertankers and dry bulk carriers.

SMU Dedman School of Law, commonly referred to as SMU Law School or Dedman School of Law, is a law school located in Dallas, Texas. It was founded in February 1925. SMU Law School is located on the campus of its parent institution, Southern Methodist University.

Vincent Cheng Hoi-Chuen GBS OBE JP was a Hong Kong banker who was an executive director of HSBC Holdings plc. He was also chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, the Asia-Pacific branch of HSBC, and founding member of the group, from 2005 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack So</span> Chairman of the Board of Airport Authority Hong Kong

Jack So Chak-kwong, GBM, GBS, OBE, JP is the chairman of the Board of Airport Authority Hong Kong from June 2015. He is a former chairman and executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), former chairman and Chief Executive of the MTR Corporation, and former deputy chairman and Group managing director of PCCW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Leung</span> Hong Kong politician

Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen is a Hong Kong politician who is the current President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing the Industrial (First) functional constituency. From October 2012 to October 2016, he was the chairman of Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA), the second largest party in the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Cha</span> American lawyer

Laura Cha Shih May-lung, GBM, GBS, JP is a Hong Kong businesswoman and politician. She is the Chairman of Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Non-Executive Deputy Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. She served as a non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong from 2004 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Shu Fan</span>

Li Shu-fan was a leader of the medical profession in Hong Kong and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marjorie Yang</span> Hong Kong businesswoman (born 1952)

Marjorie Yang Mun-tak GBS is Chairwoman of Esquel Group, a Hong Kong-based textile and apparel manufacturer with operations throughout the world, producing over 110 million cotton shirts every year for well-acclaimed brands and retailers such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Nike, and Marks and Spencer.

Tung Chee-chen, GBS, SBS, JP is a Hong Kong billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive of shipping company Orient Overseas and a member of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute, a pro-Beijing political thinktank. He is Monaco's honorary consul to Hong Kong.

Hon. John Estmond Strickland, GBS, JP, the former Chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. (1996–1998) with responsibility for HSBC's operations in Asia Pacific, was a Hong Kong-based businessman and philanthropist. He joined HSBC in Hong Kong in 1970, and was in charge of IT development and strategy, globally, and helped develop HSBC's core banking systems.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Consultative Committee was an official body established in 1985 to canvass views in Hong Kong on the drafts of the Hong Kong Basic Law.

The Progressive Hong Kong Society was a political group in Hong Kong. It was established on 14 February 1985 by the then Executive and Legislative Council member Maria Tam. The party is considered conservative and pro-Beijing, in contrast to the pro-democracy forces which rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 90s.

Herbert John Charles Browne, OBE, JP was a British businessman.

References

  1. ↑ Asia Tatler: The 500 List
  2. ↑ Wirtschaftsblatt Online of 12 March 2010: Von Linz in die Welt und in die Milliardärsliga,Helmut Sohmen abgefragt am 12 March 2010
  3. ↑ Lim, Lisa (20 November 2014) "Dr Helmut Sohmen Retires As Chairman of BW Group and BW Offshore Boards". BW Group . Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  4. ↑ List of Chairmen of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, accessed on 12 March 2010
  5. ↑ Buch zum 40jährigen Jubiläum der Organisation, S 11 Helmut Sohmen Archived 10 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine accessed on 12 March 2010
  6. ↑ "#916 Helmut Sohmen". Forbes. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.