Peter Woo
Hong Kong businessman; former chairman of Wheelock and Wharf Holdings
| Peter Woo
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 September 1946 (Forbes) |
| Nationality | Hong Kong |
| Residence | Hong Kong (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Property and investment; former chairman, Wheelock and Company and The Wharf (Holdings) |
| Known for | Wheelock; Wharf; Harbour City; Times Square; 2020 privatisation of Wheelock |
| Spouse(s) | Bessie Woo (née Pao) (Forbes) |
| Children | 3, including Douglas Woo (Forbes) |
| Education | Columbia Business School, MBA (Forbes) |
Peter Woo Kwong-ching (born 5 September 1946) is a Hong Kong businessman. He chaired Wheelock and Company and its main subsidiary The Wharf (Holdings), whose holdings include Harbour City in Kowloon and Times Square.[1][2] In 2020 a company he wholly owns took Wheelock private.[3] On 10 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Woo 198th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$14.5 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as real estate.[1][4] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Woo 186th, at US$15.5 billion.[5] A profile published by the Our Hong Kong Foundation describes him as a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and convener of its Hong Kong members.[2]
Early career and family
Forbes says Woo began his career in 1972 at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, where he met his future wife Bessie, daughter of the shipping magnate Y. K. Pao. In 1975 he joined her family's business in Hong Kong.[1] The Our Hong Kong Foundation profile says he held senior posts at Chase in New York and Hong Kong. It also lists him on the international advisory boards of J.P. Morgan Chase, National Westminster Bank, Elf Aquitaine, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro and General Electric.[2]
Wheelock and Wharf
The Our Hong Kong Foundation profile says Woo joined the Wharf board in 1978 and chaired Wharf from 1986 until May 2015 and Wheelock from 1986 until December 2013. Forbes says he stepped down from both in mid-2015 and became "senior counsel".[2][1] The profile describes the two listed companies as controlling more than HK$500 billion of property and other assets in Hong Kong, mainland China and Singapore. These included i-CABLE, Wharf T&T, Modern Terminals and the Marco Polo and Niccolo hotels.[2] It also names him as owner of World International Capital and of the fashion retailer Lane Crawford Joyce Group.[2] Forbes's 2023 profile says Harbour City and Times Square make up nearly half of the group's business assets.[1]
2020 privatisation of Wheelock
On 27 February 2020 Admiral Power Holdings, a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by Woo, proposed to privatise Wheelock by scheme of arrangement.[3] Shareholders would receive one Wharf REIC share and one Wharf share for each Wheelock share, plus HK$12.00 in cash. Afterwards Wheelock would be owned 32.51% by Admiral Power, 48.48% by a trustee of a Woo family trust and 19.01% by Woo and his entities. The stated aim was to remove the holding-company discount.[3] The South China Morning Post reported that the deal gave investors a HK$16.5 billion windfall: the Wharf stakes to be distributed were worth HK$123.7 billion, against Wheelock's own market value of HK$97 billion.[6] Forbes, by contrast, says that his son Douglas, now Wheelock's chairman, took the company private.[1]
Public roles
According to the Our Hong Kong Foundation, Woo chaired the Hong Kong Trade Development Council from 2000 to 2007, the Hospital Authority from 1995 to 2000 and the council of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 1993 to 1997. He was also deputy chairman of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum.[2] He founded Project WeCan in 2011 to support disadvantaged students; by 2015 it worked with 50 schools and 42,000 students.[2] The Hong Kong government awarded him the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2012.[2]
Wealth
Forbes lists real estate as his source of wealth and classes it as "inherited and growing". It quotes him on visitors from the mainland: "To me that's music to my ears when there is demand for your services."[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 25 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2001. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[5][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 452 | 1.1 |
| 2002 | 445 | 1.0 |
| 2004 | 356 | 1.6 |
| 2005 | 321 | 2.0 |
| 2006 | 335 | 2.3 |
| 2007 | 287 | 3.0 |
| 2008 | 236 | 4.4 |
| 2009 | 246 | 2.6 |
| 2010 | 197 | 4.3 |
| 2011 | 200 | 5.1 |
| 2012 | 232 | 4.5 |
| 2013 | 145 | 8.0 |
| 2014 | 186 | 7.2 |
| 2015 | 153 | 8.6 |
| 2016 | 174 | 6.6 |
| 2017 | 126 | 10.5 |
| 2018 | 122 | 12.2 |
| 2019 | 129 | 10.8 |
| 2020 | 110 | 11.5 |
| 2021 | 104 | 18.0 |
| 2022 | 100 | 17.0 |
| 2023 | 108 | 15.8 |
| 2024 | 126 | 15.1 |
| 2025 | 191 | 12.5 |
| 2026 | 186 | 15.5 |
Political activity
The Our Hong Kong Foundation profile records Woo as a member of the CPPCC Standing Committee and convener of CPPCC members in Hong Kong. The profile is undated and refers to events in 2015.[2]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
Woo has been a member of the CPPCC Standing Committee and convener of its Hong Kong members, and the group holds assets in mainland China.[2]
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Other international links
Singapore: Wheelock assets and Wheelock Holdings Pte Ltd. United Kingdom: former deputy chairman of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum and member of NatWest's international advisory board.[2]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Peter Woo (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/peter-woo/) Forbes, live record, read 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Our Hong Kong Foundation, Mr Peter WOO Our Hong Kong Foundation, undated profile (refers to 2015), accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Admiral Power Holdings Limited and Wheelock and Company Limited, Joint announcement: proposal for the privatisation of Wheelock and Company Limited by Admiral Power Holdings Limited by way of a scheme of arrangement HKEXnews, 27 February 2020, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 10 November 2026 20:12 UTC, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Pearl Liu, Billionaire Peter Woo to take Wheelock private, handing HK$16.5 billion value windfall to shareholders South China Morning Post, 27 February 2020, accessed 10 November 2026.