Dr the Honourable Lee Shau Kee, the founder of the Company and Henderson Investment Limited, was the Chairman and Managing Director of the Company from 1976 to 28 May 2019, upon his retirement from such position. He continued to act as an Executive Director of the Company after his stepping down as Chairman and Managing Director. He was also the chairman of Henderson Development Limited. Dr Lee previously served as the chairman of The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, an executive director of Henderson Investment Limited, a non-executive director of Miramar Hotel and Investment Company, Limited and Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) Company Limited as well as the vice chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited, all of which are listed companies. He was also the Honorary President of Shun Tak Fraternal Association and Vice-President of The Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong.
Dr Lee grew up in Guangdong Province, Southern China. He moved to Hong Kong in 1948 where he became a pioneer in the real estate industry. Throughout his career, Dr Lee earned a reputation for his ethics and people skills, as well as his ability to make wise investments. In 1996, Dr Lee was ranked fourth in Forbes' listing of the "World's Richest Men".
As one of Hong Kong's leading business people, Dr Lee made significant contributions to Hong Kong's economic prosperity. He was also a respected philanthropist, who played an instrumental role in the creation and success of many major educational and community initiatives in Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas. He made generous contributions to higher education and training, including significant donations to all of the nine universities in Hong Kong.
Through the Lee Shau Kee Foundation, Dr Lee provided scholarships, building funds and other generous support to colleges and universities around the world. In 1982, Dr Lee established the Hong Kong Pei Hua Education Foundation, which took a visionary approach to enhancing human resources and providing educational and training opportunities in Mainland China. In late 2005, through the Lee Shau Kee Foundation, Dr Lee donated RMB330 million to initiate Mainland China's largest-ever charity-based farmer training program, "The Warmth Project". With support from the Central Government, the program provided vocational training for 1,000,000 farmers and 10,000 village doctors in 1,000 counties in the country.
Dr Lee received many accolades throughout his career including honorary doctorates in business administration, social sciences and law, as well as honorary fellowships from local and overseas universities. In 2008 alone, Dr Lee received an honorary doctorate degree from Fudan University; was named an honorary trustee and a strategic advisor to Tsinghua University; and was appointed an honorary director of Peking University.
In recognition of his lifelong devotion to education and his contributions to the community, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region awarded Dr Lee with its highest honor, the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM), in October 2007.