Kwek Leng Joo
{{Short description|Singaporean businessman and photographer (1953–2015)}}
{{Family name hatnote|Kwek|lang=Chinese}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kwek Leng Joo
| native_name = {{nobold|郭令裕}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|04|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = Singapore
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|11|16|1953|04|24|df=y}}
| death_place = Singapore
| spouse = Alice Kwek
| father = Kwek Hong Png
| relatives = Kwek Leng Beng (brother)
| other_names =
| occupation = Businessman and photographer and environmental activist
| known_for =
| awards = {{ubl|President's Award for the Environment (2015)}}
}}
Kwek Leng Joo ({{lang-zh|c=郭令裕|poj=Koeh Lêng-jū}}; 24 April 1953 – 16 November 2015) was a Singaporean businessman, photographer and environmental activist who served as the managing director of City Developments Limited (CDL) from 1995 to 2014, and the deputy chairman of CDL from 2014 until his death.{{Cite web |title=CDL mourns the passing of Deputy Chairman, Mr Kwek Leng Joo |url=https://www.cdl.com.sg/newsroom/cdl-mourns-the-passing-of-deputy-chairman-mr-kwek-leng-joo |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=www.cdl.com.sg |language=en-SG}} He also served as the president of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) from 1993 to 1997 and from 2001 to 2005{{Cite web |last=Chong |first=Koh Ping |date=19 January 2016 |title=Prominent businessman Kwek Leng Joo has died |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/business/prominent-businessman-kwek-leng-joo-has-died |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=The Straits Times}} and a trustee of the Nanyang Technological University.{{Cite book |last=Hickson |first=Ken |title=Race For Sustainability: Energy, Economy, Environment And Ethics|publisher=World Scientific Publishing Company |year=2013 |isbn=9789814571371 |pages=269 |language=en}}
Kwek Leng Joo had two children, including Kwek Eik Shing.{{Cite book |last=Peh |first=Shing Huei |title=Strictly business: the Kwek Leng Beng story |date=2024 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-981-12-8449-6 |location=Singapore |pages=212}}
Life and career
Kwek Leng Joo was born on 24 April 1953. His father, Kwek Hong Png, was the founder of Hong Leong Group, the parent company of CDL. He has an older brother, Kwek Leng Beng. The Kwek family had origins from the Fujian, China.{{Cite book |last=Cragg |first=Claudia |title=Hunting with the tigers: doing business with Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam |date=1993 |publisher=Pfeiffer |isbn=978-0-89384-204-8 |location=Amsterdam |pages=386 |language=en}} Kwek attended the Anglo-Chinese School and Maris Stella High School; he obtained diplomas in hotel management from New York University and Takushoku University.{{Cite book |last=Visscher |first=Sikko |title=The business of politics and the ethnicity: a history of the Singapore Chinese chamber of commerce and industry |date=2007 |publisher=NUS press |isbn=978-9971-69-365-7 |location=Singapore |language=en |pages=249–251}}
In 1976, Kwek became a director of the Hong Leong Group; he became a director of CDL in 1980.{{Cite web |date=January 2016 |title=A Tribute to Mr Kwek Leng Joo's Enduring Legacy |url=https://ir.cdl.com.sg/static-files/df87f5e4-2dd5-431a-b8de-702d0cefe742 |access-date=18 February 2025 |publisher=City Developments Limited}}
In 1993, Tan Eng Joo, the previous president of the SCCCI, convinced Kwek to run for the president of the SCCCI. Becoming the second-youngest president, he led reforms for the SCCCI by changing the voting system. After the death of his father in 1994, Kwek was active in the business of the Hong Leong Group. He emphasised the importance of unity within the Chinese in his inaugural address.{{Cite book |last1=Chong |first1=Guan Kwa |title=A General History Of The Chinese In Singapore |last2=Bak |first2=Lim Kua |date=21 June 2019 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=9789813277656 |pages=133 |language=en}}
In the early 1990s, Kwek was one of the first promoters of corporate social responsibility (CSR), where he promoted CSR within CSL.{{Cite web |title=Kwek Leng Joo |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=dc59a636-cc0e-4f21-af9a-e77853ba5ec6 |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=www.nlb.gov.sg}} In 1995, he also led the company to adopt the ethos "Conserving as it Constructs";{{Cite web |title=2015 PAE Recipients |url=https://www.mse.gov.sg/take-action/pae/past-recipients/2015-pae-recipients |access-date=20 February 2025 |website=Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment |language=en}} his efforts to publish sustainability reports was dismissed by its investors.{{Cite web |last=Lim |first=Janice |date=27 September 2024 |title=The triple bottom line: People, planet and profit, Sustainability Impact Awards |url=https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/events-awards/sustainability-impact-awards/sustainability-impact-awards-2024/triple-bottom-line-people-planet-and-profit |access-date=20 February 2025 |website=The Business Times |language=en}}
In 2001, Kwek professionally started his photography career after having to photograph photos for CDL's calendar from cost-cutting measures, after beginning an amateur career since secondary school. He raised more than {{SGDConvert|3|m|USD}} through the sales of photography and art works to charity and environmental causes, including {{SGDConvert|550|k|USD}} for the President's Challenge 2015. He collaborated with painter Lin Lu Zai and opened the exhibition Soul & Sensibilities in October 2015, consisting of 40 artworks in which Lin applied traditional Chinese brush painting and calligraphy to modern photographs taken by Kwek.{{Cite web |title=Soul & Sensibilities |url=https://sagg.info/soul-sensibilities/ |access-date=18 March 2025 |website=Singapore Art & Gallery Guide|date=11 September 2015 }} It was displayed in the National Museum of Singapore.{{Cite web |last=Hashimi |first=Hashirin Nurin |title=Two Artists Meet: Soul & Sensibilities exhibition opening |url=https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/arts/two-artists-meet-soul-sensibilities-exhibition-opening |access-date=21 February 2025 |website=Tatler Asia |language=en}}
On 16 November 2015, Kwek died in his sleep due to a heart attack.{{Cite web |last=Torrijos |first=Elena |date=16 November 2015 |title=CDL deputy chairman Kwek Leng Joo passes away at 62 |url=https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/cdl-deputy-chairman-kwek-leng-joo-passes-away-at-62-100737018.html |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=Yahoo! News}} A private funeral was held on 20 November, and he was cremated. Before his death, he had donated {{SGDConvert|5|m|USD|lk=off }} to promote CSR practices to the Nanyang Technological University.
References
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Category:Singaporean businesspeople