SINGAPORE: Shangri-La Asia on Wednesday (Jul 16) announced the appointment of chairman and executive director Kuok Hui Kwong as its new chief executive with effect from Aug 1.

Ms Kuok, 47, has been the executive director of Shangri-La Asia since June 2016 and its chairman since January 2017.

She is also the daughter of Shangri-La founder Robert Kuok, who is Malaysia’s richest man.

“The combination of the roles of chairman and chief executive officer under the leadership of Ms Kuok is expected to enhance the company’s strategic cohesion and operational execution by ensuring a unified and consistent vision across all levels of leadership,” Shangri-La Asia said in a bourse filing.

She has played a key leadership role in the company since her appointment as executive director and has been “primarily responsible for formulating the company’s strategic priorities and steering the company towards its goals,” the group said.

The position of CEO has been vacant since December 2022, when the group’s former chief executive Lim Beng Chee retired and stepped down after almost six years.

Under her current employment contract, Ms Kuok is entitled to a monthly base salary of HK$576,000 (US$73,000), plus discretionary bonus and pension.

She has a total direct and indirect interest in 95.57 million Shangri-La Asia shares. The group is listed on both the Hong Kong and Singapore exchanges.

Ms Kuok has held directorships in China World Trade Centre Company in the past three years. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University.

She was also previously managing director and chief executive of SCMP Group and director of Bangkok Post.

Shangri-La Asia appoints Kuok Hui Kwong, daughter of Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok, as CEO