Family Behind Jardines Climb Up Rich List Rankings

The family behind Hong Kong-based conglomerate Jardines saw their wealth soar by more than HK$15 billion in the past year, according to a British newspaper.

The Sunday Times’ annual Rich List put the wealth of the former Taipan Sir Henry Kesiwck and his family at £6.35 billion – that’s just under HK$65 billion.

That puts the family 22nd on the list’s estimate of the 1,000 richest people in the UK, up from 27th in 2018. Just behind them in 27th place is the Swire family, of Swire Pacific fame, whose wealth was reported at £5.08 billion.

The Keswick family’s stake in Jardine Matheson is worth £6.1 billion.

Shanghai-born Sir Henry retired as chairman of the board in 2018, after more than four decades in charge. He was succeeded by his nephew, Ben.

The conglomerate employs 470,000 staff, has a vast property portfolio, and interests in the hotel, food, motoring, and engineering sectors.

The newspaper said turnover of almost £66 billion last year relied on China for 60 percent of sales, with profits hitting £3.45 billion.

Topping the annual Rich List for a third time were the billionaire Hinduja brothers, with their wealth estimated at £22 billion. They previously topped the list in 2014 and 2017.

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