Jonathan Kwok hails from the wealthy Kwok family behind Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) and the Empire Group Holdings (EGH). Little is known about his life and personal details. Fair enough, when the young Kwok is busy with his duties in upholding the billion-dollar empire his family started – and continuing its legacy. With a significant inheritance from his late father, Walter Kwok, Jonathan has become one of Asia’s youngest billionaires. We take a look at his controversial family and his noteworthy education and work experience. He comes from the richest family in Hong Kong Jonathan Kwok is the younger son of Walter Kwok. His late father was the eldest of three sons of Kwok Tak-seng who, in 1963, co-founded Sun Hung Kai Properties, which soon became Hong Kong’s biggest property developer. Walter was also the former chairman of SHKP. He established Empire Group Holdings in 2010. 6 Hong Kong celebrity restaurateurs who lost millions due to Covid-19 In a 2017 Forbes list, the Kwok family’s cumulative wealth was estimated at US$40.4 billion, and they were ranked Asia’s third richest family. Following Walter’s passing, Jonathan and his brother Geoffrey inherited their father’s stake in SHKP and assumed director positions at EGH. He is Hong Kong’s youngest billionaire According to the latest Forbes billionaire list , the 30-year-old Jonathan Kwok currently ranks at the 1,397th spot and holds a net worth of up to US$2.2 billion. This also makes him the second youngest billionaire in Asia. A Forbes report in 2020 put the young Kwok on the seventh spot in its World’s 10 Youngest Billionaires list, joining the likes of reality star Kylie Jenner , who took the top spot that year. Prestigious background Jonathan graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration. According to his LinkedIn, upon graduation, he worked at investment holding company CSI Properties and at financial services company CMB International Securities. How Miss Hong Kong 2020 Lisa Tse went from Scottish nurse to Canto TV star When he joined the Empire Group, he led the company’s real estate investments, project developments and asset management operations. He also has significant know-how and experience in Hong Kong real estate investment, analysing global investments and hotel development. Family controversies Becoming one of Asia’s wealthiest comes with a price. In 1997, Jonathan’s father Walter was kidnapped and held for ransom by a notorious gang leader nicknamed “Big Spender”. A Forbes report cited the family shelling out US$78 million in exchange for Walter’s release. Various reports following the incident cite that Walter faced psychological trauma from the abduction. As per Money Week , control of the company was eventually passed on to his younger brothers, Thomas and Raymond Kwok. In 2008, Walter was ousted from the board. In 2014, the BBC reported that Thomas and an ex-government official were found guilty in the “biggest-ever” corruption case in Hong Kong. Raymond, however, was acquitted. In August 2020, following the Covid-19 outbreak and the uncertainties of Hong Kong’s stability as a booming city, a Bloomberg report revealed that the Kwoks had suffered an US$8 billion loss in a single year. Why doesn’t Hong Kong make great romance films any more? He works hard and keeps his head down Still, while the new generation of Kwoks remain cushioned by billions of dollars, they are known to work hard to keep their family’s company going to honour their legacy. In a YouTube channel called Business Explained, a video reveals the history behind EGH’s handwritten Empire logo. While the E was written by founder Walter himself, the rest of the letters were completed by Jonathan and Geoffrey – a symbolic testament to their dedication to “uphold their father’s values” in their work and company duties. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .