Ken Chu (businessman)

Last updated

Ken Chu
Dr. Ken Chu, Chairman & CEO, Mission Hills Group.jpg
Born1974 (age 4950)
Education Western University, Bus. Adm., Doctor of Law (Hon)
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forCEO and Chairman of Mission Hills Group; Global Member of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC); National Committee Member of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese

Ken Chu (born 1974 in Hong Kong), is the chairman and CEO of the Mission Hills Group, a Chinese company that operates golf resorts. [1]

Contents

Education

Chu earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He is also the youngest person to receive a Honorary Doctorate of Law Degree [2] for his contribution to sports, leisure developments and community services in Hong Kong and China.

Career

After completion of his studies, Chu joined his father David Chu's company Mission Hills Group in 1995. He has led his company to turn the uninhabited periphery of Shenzhen and Dongguan into a golf resort with twelve golf courses designed by top professional golf players, three golf clubhouses, three spa centers, two five-star hotels, two golf academies and one country club with Asia's largest tennis facility (fifty-one tennis courts) and one tennis academy. Guinness World Records listed Mission Hills Golf Club as the "World’s Largest Golf Club" [3] in 2004. It was also recognized as a 5A Level Tourist Attraction [4] by CNTA (China National Tourism Administration).

In 2008, Chu planned and executed a project with Chinese Government policymakers on Hainan Island, known as Mission Hills Haikou. Mission Hills Haikou opened to the public in 2010 with ten golf courses, each incorporating the native lava rock formations, one 518-room five-star hotel, one golf clubhouse, one golf academy, Hainan's only aquatic theme park with 168-pool volcanic mineral springs and one spa center. The Guinness World Records listed Mission Hills Haikou as the "World's Largest Spa & Mineral Springs".

The Chu has brought more than one hundred international tournaments to China. He has also introduced the "golf and more" leisure philosophy to Mission Hills' expanding tourism-related businesses. The group's latest development projects include the 500,000-square-metre (5,400,000 sq ft) Mission Hills Centreville [5] and the 330,000-square-metre (3,600,000 sq ft) Mission Hills Lan Kwai Fong – Haikou. [6] These projects feature international hotel brands, such as Ritz Carlton, Renaissance Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel; integrated shopping, entertainment and leisure centers; trendy restaurants, cafes and bars; IMAX cinemas; ice skating rinks; bowling alleys; simulation racing centers; auto showrooms and conference facilities.

The Mission Hills – Huayi Brothers – Feng Xiaogang Movie Town which opened to the public on 7 June 2014 in Haikou is a joint venture between Mission Hills, the Chinese film production company, Huayi Brothers and the Chinese film director, Feng Xiaogang. It is a 930,000-square-metre (10,000,000 sq ft) themed town that features six professional movie studios and a variety of dining, entertainment, shopping, cinema, cafe, bar and hotel facilities.

Mission Hills Group also entered into partnerships with the NBA (National Basketball Association) and FC Barcelona (FCB), creating the largest basketball academy operated by the NBA, complemented by interactive museum experiences, and the Barça Academy Pro in Haikou will be[ needs update ] the first overseas FCB football school directly managed by FCB and staffed by FCB coaches. The NBA Basketball School – Mission Hills Haikou will open to male and female players, from junior level to professionals; NBA players and legends will visit the school to provide additional instruction and training to young players. [7]

Together with his brother Tenniel Chu, Ken Chu has been named Asia’s Most Powerful People in Golf for seven years running by Asian Golf. The Chu brothers have topped this Asia’s Power Hitters list since 2014. [8]

Public and community service appointments

In addition to his duties with Mission Hills, Chu is also a Global Member of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), [9] the preeminent forum for global business leaders in travel and tourism industry, and currently serves as National Committee Member of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). [10] as well as other appointments, including:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hainan</span> Province of China

Hainan is an island province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. It is the southernmost province of China, and the name means "south of the sea", reflecting the island's position south of the Qiongzhou Strait, which separates it from Leizhou Peninsula of the Chinese mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Ho</span> Macau politician

Edmund Ho Hau Wah, GOIH, GML, GCM is a Macau politician who served as the first Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region from 1999 to 2009. He currently serves as a Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Tien (politician)</span> Hong Kong politician

James Tien Pei-chun, GBS, OBE, JP is the former chairman and Leader of the Liberal Party (LP) and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco). Originally an entrepreneur, he was also a non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong (Exco), member of Central and Western and Kwai Tsing District Council and Hong Kong member to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haikou</span> Prefecture-level city in Hainan, Peoples Republic of China

Haikou is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. The northern part of the city is on the Haidian Island, which is separated from the main part of Haikou by the Haidian River, a branch of the Nandu. Administratively, Haikou is a prefecture-level city, comprising four districts, and covering 2,280 square kilometres (880 sq mi). There are 2,046,189 inhabitants in the built-up area, all living within the four urban districts of the city.

Hainan Airlines Co., Ltd. is an airline headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China. It is the largest civilian-run and majority state-owned air transport company, making it the fourth-largest airline in terms of fleet size in the People's Republic of China, and the tenth-largest airline in Asia in terms of passengers carried. It operates scheduled domestic and international services on 500 routes from Hainan and nine locations on the mainland, as well as charter services. Its main base is located at Haikou Meilan International Airport, with hubs at Beijing Capital International Airport and Xi'an Xianyang International Airport and several focus cities.

Mission Hills Shenzhen is a twelve-course 18-hole course golf resort, located in the town of Guanlan (觀瀾) in Shenzhen, between the cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan. It is accredited as the world's largest golf facility by the Guinness World Records in 2004, with a size of 40 km2 (4,000 ha), surpassing the Pinehurst Resort in the United States. It currently has 11 championship courses and an 18-hole par three course, each designed by a different golf personality. Ken Chu, also known as "Mr. Golf" in China, is the chairman and CEO for Mission Hills Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kowloon Shangri-La</span> Hotel in Hong Kong

Kowloon Shangri-La is a five-star hotel of the Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts group. It is located on Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui East overlooking Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong Island skyline. It is the sister hotel to the Island Shangri-La in Admiralty district, Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Hyatt Hong Kong</span> Hyatt-branded hotel in Hong Kong

The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is a luxury Hyatt hotel in Hong Kong, and the Asian flagship of Hyatt International. It has been described in a New York Times travel article as a "world-famous prestige" property. It opened on 21 November 1989 and is located at 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, adjacent to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Lam</span> Hong Kong businessman

Peter Lam Kin-ngok, GBS is a Hong Kong businessman and billionaire who has developed a reputation in Hong Kong's business, media, and entertainment industry, as well as in Asia's hospitality and food and beverage industries..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhua, Haikou</span> District in Hainan, Peoples Republic of China

Longhua is one district in Haikou City, Hainan. The district's total area is 302.49 km2 (117 sq mi), and its population was 593,018 people in 2010. The district has 11 sub divisions, 5 towns and 6 sub-districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lui Che-woo</span> Hong Kong business magnate, investor, and philanthropist


Lui Che Woo, GBM, MBE, JP (Chinese: 呂志和; Sidney Lau: Lui5 Ji3 Woh6; born 9 August 1929) is a Hong Kong business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is a member of the standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Jiangmen, People's Republic of China, and is a Hong Kong gambling magnate, founder and chairman of listed firms Galaxy Entertainment Group and K. Wah International Holdings Ltd. As of June 2021, he had an estimated net worth of US$19.0 billion and ranked the fourth richest man in Hong Kong according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golf in China</span>

Golf in China is a growing industry, with numerous golf courses being established, especially in the province of Hainan. In 2011, there were around 358,000 core players among the Chinese population, with a growth rate of 7.5%, and that figure was projected to grow to about 20 million by 2020. For the general public, golf is considered to be prohibitively expensive. However, it is seen as the top recreational sport for businesspeople and officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Hills Haikou</span> Golf complex in Hainan, China

Mission Hills Haikou is a golf complex in Haikou, Hainan, China. Located around 10 km south of the center of Haikou, it comprises 10 golf courses, and at the north end, hotels including a Ritz Carlton and Renaissance, condominiums, a water park, and a Centreville (downtown) which includes numerous restaurants and shops. The site is 20 km2 making it the second largest golf complex in the world. The largest is the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HNA Group</span> Chinese company

HNA Group Co., Ltd., was a Chinese conglomerate headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China. Founded in 2000, it was involved in numerous industries including aviation, real estate, financial services, tourism, logistics, and more. It is the owner of Hainan Airlines and a part owner of Grand China Air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Curley</span> American golf course architect

Brian Curley is a golf course architect. He was raised in Pebble Beach, California where he played, caddied and worked at the area’s iconic courses. He currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. Curley is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) and currently serves on its Board of Governors.

Lee Schmidt is a golf course architect and principal of Schmidt-Curley Design Inc. He was raised in Carmel, Indiana and currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. Schmidt is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) and currently serves on its executive committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenniel Chu</span> Hong Kong Businessman

Tenniel Chu, from Hong Kong, is the Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Group, owner and operator of the Mission Hills golf and leisure resorts in Shenzhen and on the island of Hainan, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie Town Haikou</span>

Movie Town Haikou is an artificial town, movie studios, guest apartments, and administration buildings, approximately 8 km south of Haikou, Hainan, China. The town, located beside Mission Hills Haikou golf resort, was created as a movie and television filming location and tourist attraction. Some of the buildings still under construction are the town buildings and the movie studios with accompanying filming facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binhai Park</span> Park in Haikou, China

Binhai Park is an urban park located on the north side of Binhai Road, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China. It was once called Hainan (Haikou) Youth Technology Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Fok</span> Hong Kong businessman

Kenneth Fok Kai-kong JP is a Hong Kong businessman and politician. The eldest grandson of tycoon Henry Fok and eldest son of Timothy Fok, he is Legislative Councillor for the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication Functional Constituency. He is the vice president of the Fok Ying Tung Group, vice president of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

References

  1. "Chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  2. "Doctorate of Law Degree". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  3. "World's Largest Golf Club". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  4. "5A Level Tourist Attraction". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  5. "Mission Hills Centreville" . Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  6. "Mission Hills Lan Kwai Fong - Haikou" . Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  7. "The Chu Brothers, the Most Powerful People in Golf • golfscape". 27 August 2019.
  8. "Mission Hills Group's Ken & Tenniel Chu Named Asia's Most Powerful People in Golf for the 7th Consecutive Year". 15 June 2020.
  9. "World Travel & Tourism Council - Global Members" . Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  10. "Why finding China's first global golf star is simply good business sense". 5 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  11. "Standing Committee Member of All-China Youth Federation" . Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  12. "Honorary Chairman of Hong Kong United Youth Association". Bloomberg News . Retrieved 1 October 2014.