Chen is honorary chairwoman of Nan Fung Group, a closely held real estate developer. The Hong Kong-based company has built residential and commercial properties in China, as well as Hong Kong's Asia Trade Centre and the Octa Tower in Kowloon. It has also undertaken projects in the US, UK and Singapore.
Vivien Chen's net worth of $5.11B can buy ...
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The majority of Chen's wealth is derived from Nan Fung Group, a closely held property developer founded by her late father, Dr. Chen Din-hwa.
Ownership details among family members are not disclosed and the value of the entire group is attributed to the billionaire because she took control of the company after her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2009.
Vivien's mother filed a lawsuit against her daughter in 2010, claiming she had misinterpreted the arrangement for the distribution of the late Chen's assets, according to Hong Kong court documents. A 2016 court judgement mandated that the assets be split among Chen's widow and two daughters. To reflect this, a liability of about $800 million was added.
Nan Fung's valuation is based on the average price-to-book multiples of four publicly traded peer companies Sun Hung Kai Properties, Sino Land, Henderson Land and New World Development.
Nelson Tang, Nan Fung's financial director, declined to comment on Chen's wealth.
Vivien Chen's father, Chen Din-hwa, founded Nan Fung Textiles in 1954, five years after he immigrated to Hong Kong from Shanghai as the Communist Party took control of China. The cotton-yarn maker established itself in the 1950s as Hong Kong became a manufacturing hub in Asia, earning him the sobriquet The King of Cotton Yarn.
Nan Fung entered Hong Kong's property market in the 1960s, at the same time as other Hong Kong billionaires such as Li Ka-shing, Lee Shau-kee and Cheng Yu-tung. Its first project, Nan Fung Sun Chuen, was built on a site in Quarry Bay purchased from British firm John Swire and Sons. Nan Fung later became a key developer in Hong Kong.
Vivien, whose Cantonese name is Chen Wai Wai, joined the company in 1981 after attending a design school in San Francisco. As one of only two children, Vivien took over control of Nan Fung after her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2009. The patriarch died of dementia and prostate cancer in 2012.
In December 2010, Vivien's mother, Yang Foo-oi, sued her over a trust fund, alleging the younger daughter had misled Chen into transferring his assets, according to the Hong Kong Standard. The case hasn't been resolved. Vivien's sister Angela also failed in legally removing her as the boss of Nan Fung, the newspaper said.