Samuel Tak Lee

Samuel Tak Lee
李德義
Lee in 2015
Born(1939-04-01)1 April 1939
Guangdong, China
Died24 May 2026(2026-05-24) (aged 87)
London, England
EducationDiocesan Boys' School, Hong Kong
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Harvard Business School
OccupationProperty developer
Children7, including Samathur Li

Samuel Tak Lee or Lee Tak-Yee (Chinese: 李德義; pinyin: Lǐ Déyì; Jyutping: Lei5 Dak1-ji6; 1 April 1939 – 24 May 2026) was a Hong Kong billionaire property businessman. According to Forbes, he had an estimated net worth of US$4.2 billion at his death.

Early life

Lee was born in Guangdong, China on 1 April 1939. He was educated at Diocesan Boys' School in Mong Kok, before earning bachelor's and master's degrees in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964. Lee then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Career

After finishing his studies, Lee returned to Hong Kong to join Prudential Enterprises, the real estate company founded by his father and uncle in 1958. He took control of the entire business from his brother Lee Tak-Yan in 1985. Prudential Enterprises owns the Prudential Hotel in Hong Kong and has significant holdings in Hong Kong, Japan, Switzerland and Singapore. In the UK, he purchased the 14 acre Langham Estate in London's Fitzrovia district in 1994. A real estate portfolio Lee indirectly established in Tokyo in 1999 was eventually sold in 2017 for approximately $1.2 billion.

By 2019, Lee had become the largest shareholder in Shaftesbury PLC, a large London real estate investment trust, with a 26.3% stake. There was persistent media speculation that Lee would eventually bid for control of Shaftesbury. The Times also reported that Lee sued Shaftesbury for £10.4 million in alleged losses over a share placing. His interest in Shaftesbury was subsequently sold at a discount to Capco for $544 million in June 2020.

Lee has been noted for his vigorous defence of his estate's legal rights and business interests. According to Forbes, he had a net worth of $3.6 billion, as of January 2021.

Philanthropy

In 2007, Lee donated US$9 million to Hong Kong's Diocesan Boys' School, of which he was a student between 1951 and 1958. The donation was made to fund residential student growth with a new dormitory block for the school. One of Lee's sons was studying at the school at that time.

Lee donated US$118 million in 2015 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to be used to establish a real estate entrepreneurship lab focused on China. The lab has been researching the impact of poor urban air quality on residents' health, social lives and behaviour.

Personal life and death

Lee was married to Irene Tak Lee, had seven children and lived between Hong Kong and London. He reportedly owned the yachts Pelorus and Kogo. The Lee family reportedly owns a Boeing aircraft and a large car collection.

Lee maintained a low profile and rarely spoke out about his many business dealings. According to media reports and court documents Lee had a colourful personal life.

Samuel's son, Samathur Li Kin-kan, is well-known for his divorce settlement, which the court of Hong Kong awarded his ex-wife HK$1.2 billion.

Lee died at his home in London, on 24 May 2026, at the age of 87.

References

  1. 1 2 "Forbes profile: Samuel Tak Lee". Forbes. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Langham Estate Management Limited". Companies House. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Samuel Tak Lee, billionaire West End landlord who gained publicity for his costly legal battles". The Telegraph. 8 June 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  4. ↑ DBS Movie Gallery (20 July 2012), Speech Delivery by Mr Samuel Tak Lee 2008-2009, archived from the original on 22 March 2022, retrieved 5 February 2019
  5. ↑ Olsen, Robert. "Real Estate Billionaire Donates $118 Million To MIT". Forbes. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Samuel Tak Lee". Forbes.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "PRUDENTIAL ENTERPRISE, LIMITED - THE - 恒豐企業有限公司". 30 April 1958. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Real Estate Billionaire Donates $118 Million to MIT". Forbes. 10 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Lee plays for keeps". EG: Estates Gazette. No. 414. April 2004. p. 44.
  10. ↑ Bruce Lee's (Hong Kong-American actor, director, martial artist) home was torn down in the late 70’s early 80’s to make way for the current building – The Prudential Centre – completed in 1982. (31 July 2014). "The Bruce Lee Guide to Yau Ma Tei". Hong Kong (& Macau) Stuff. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Luigino Canal (2007) "Un mystérieux Chinois rachète le coeur de Genève" Édition Bilan, 09 mai 2007, p.16
  12. ↑ "MIT Receives $118M Gift From Alumnus". www.wbur.org. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  13. 1 2 Chiu, Austin (21 October 2013). "Property tycoon Samuel Tak Lee challenges HK$1.4b awarded to son's ex-wife Florence Tsang Chiu-wing". The South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Moore, Malcolm (2 December 2011). "Asian property tycoon heir to pay £95 million to ex-wife". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "Norges in $823M Japan JV with Tokyu Land". Mingtiandi. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  16. ↑ David (17 December 2017). "Property news round up 17 Dec 2017 | PropertyInvestSG". PropertyInvestSG. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "Property tycoon Samuel Tak Lee challenges HK$1.4b awarded to son's ex-wife Florence Tsang Chiu-wing". South China Morning Post. 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  18. ↑ "Veloqx group real estate". papode.ml. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  19. ↑ "Veloqx real estate". ringmares.ml. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  20. ↑ Marlow, Ben (15 July 2015). "Is Sammy Tak Lee hoping to get lucky with Shaftesbury offer?". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  21. ↑ Shah, Oliver (20 May 2018). "Hong Kong tycoon Samuel Tak Lee's war on Chinatown owner". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  22. 1 2 Clarence-Smith, Louisa (12 June 2019). "Property tycoon sues West End landowner". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  23. ↑ UK, Will Martin, Business Insider. "The battle for a £3 billion property empire in London's Chinatown just took a new turn". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. 1 2 "Time for 'Man of Mystery' Shaftesbury shareholder to put up or shut up". Evening Standard. 29 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  25. ↑ "Samuel Tak Lee locks horns with Shaftesbury again". QuotedData. 2 May 2019. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  26. ↑ "Samuel Tak Lee Sells Stake in Shaftesbury for £436M". Mingtiandi. 2 June 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  27. ↑ "Samuel Tak Lee Sells Stake in Shaftesbury for £436M". Mingtiandi. 2 June 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  28. ↑ "UK's Capco buys 26% stake in rival Shaftesbury for $540 mln". Reuters. 1 June 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  29. 1 2 "Favor Easy Management Ltd, Samuel Tak Lee v Fuk Fei Wu, Favor Easy Management Ltd (2012)". www.maitlandchambers.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  30. ↑ "Donation of HK$70m among city's largest". South China Morning Post. 12 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  31. ↑ "DBS64 50th Anniversary Magazine". Issuu. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  32. ↑ "Hong Kong tycoon Samuel Tak Lee donates US$118m to MIT for real estate studies". South China Morning Post. 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  33. ↑ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (21 January 2019). "In China, a link between happiness and air quality: Moods expressed on social media tend to decline when air pollution gets worse, study finds". ScienceDaily. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  34. ↑ "The city is her lab -- Siqi Zheng studies the economics of China's urban explosion". MIT News. 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  35. ↑ Hanson, Dana (12 March 2022). "The 10 Most Expensive Sailboats in the World". Money Inc. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  36. ↑ "Pelorus sold to Chinese billionaire". Yacht Harbour. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  37. ↑ Klein, Michael (16 July 2021). "Crew of Cayman-registered superyacht sues for unpaid wages". Cayman Compass. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  38. 1 2 Marlow, Ben (15 July 2015). "Is Sammy Tak Lee hoping to get lucky with Shaftesbury offer?". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  39. ↑ "Tycoon who accused ex-lover of blackmail". Evening Standard. 26 September 2011. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  40. ↑ "Court slashes record divorce payout for property scion's ex-wife". South China Morning Post. 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 23 July 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  41. ↑ Andrew Hough (30 July 2011). "Court forces property tycoon to give houses to mistress". www.telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  42. ↑ "The billionaire divorce case that gripped the city". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. n.d. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  43. ↑ "Who do you sue when a robot loses your fortune?". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  44. ↑ "West End's billionaire Hong Kong landlord dies". The Telegraph. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  45. ↑ "Samuel Tak Lee". The Times. 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.