Pansy Catalina Ho Chiu-king (; born 26 August 1962) is a Hong Kong billionaire businesswoman who is the daughter of Macau businessman

Stanley Ho Stanley Ho Hung-sun (; 25 November 192126 May 2020) was a Hong Kong and Macau billionaire businessman. He was the founder and chairman of SJM Holdings, which owns nineteen casinos in Macau including the Grand Lisboa. Ho was nicknamed variou ...

, and the managing director of various companies he founded, including

Shun Tak Holdings Shun Tak Holdings Limited () is a Hong Kong–Macau company founded in 1972. It has been one of the constituents of the Hang Seng Hong Kong MidCap Index since 11 September 2006. The company is active in shipping, property, hospitality, and inve ...

. Pansy has major interests in two of the six casino licence-holders in

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

. She was named 25th on

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

’ list of Hong Kong’s 50 richest people in 2021 with an estimated fortune of HK$31.8 billion (US$4.1 billion), and the 2nd richest woman in Hong Kong.

Early life and education

Pansy Ho was born on 26 August 1962, the eldest of five children of Stanley Ho and Lucina Laam King Ying. She has three sisters, one brother and twelve half-siblings. Her second sister Daisy is the Chairman of

SJM Holdings SJM is an abbreviation of: * Swadeshi Jagaran Manch *Svalbard and Jan Mayen Svalbard and Jan Mayen (, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2: SJ, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3: SJM, ISO 3166-1 numeric: 744) is a statistical designation defined by ISO 3166-1 for a collective g ...

, her third sister

Josie Josie may refer to: People * Josie (name), various people and fictional characters with the given name, a diminutive of Josephine * Edith Josie (1921–2000), Canadian writer and newspaper columnist * Peter Josie, Saint Lucia politician Music ...

is a singer, and her brother

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

is also a businessman. She attended an all-girls high school

Castilleja School Castilleja School is an independent school for girls in grades six through twelve, located in Palo Alto, California. Castilleja is the only non-sectarian all-girls middle and high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. The faculty consists of appr ...

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

and went on to attend

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in marketing and business. Ho had also attended St. Paul's Convent School in Causeway Bay (Hong Kong) as part of her Junior and Senior High School.

Johnson & Wales University Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is a private university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU enrolled 7,357 students across its cam ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, awarded her an honorary doctorate in May 2007.

Career

In 1981, Ho began a brief career in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, appearing with actor

Danny Chan Danny Chan Pak-Keung (; 7 September 1958 – 25 October 1993) was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter and actor. One of the first Cantopop idols in Hong Kong, he gained fame alongside performers Alan Tam, Anita Mui, and Leslie Cheung, who wer ...

, who himself had then just been in the industry for two years, in the

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong. The company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Canton ...

series ''Breakthrough'' (突破). Later, at age 26, she launched her own

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

firm. She also supported her sister

Josie Ho Josephine "Josie" Ho Chiu-yi (; born 26 December 1974) is a singer and actress from Hong Kong. She is the daughter of the Macao casino magnate Stanley Ho. Acting career She has played many roles, including portraying the parts of prostitutes, wh ...

's efforts to establish her own singing career in the early 1990s over the objection of their father. Ho owns 29% of the

MGM Grand Macau MGM Macau (; formerly known as MGM Grand Macau) is a 35-story, 600-room casino resort in Sé, Macau, Sé, Macau. Under a Gambling in Macau, sub concession approved by the Macau government, the pro ...

, an association which has proven controversial for business partner

MGM Mirage MGM Resorts International is an American multinational hospitality, sports and entertainment company. It operates resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, Macau, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou and San ...

. Nevada's

Gaming Control Board A gaming control board (GCB), also called by various names including gambling control board, casino control board, gambling board, and gaming commission, is a government agency charged with Regulation, regulating casino and other types of gaming i ...

and

Gaming Commission A gaming control board (GCB), also called by various names including gambling control board, casino control board, gambling board, and gaming commission, is a government agency charged with regulating casino and other types of gaming in a defined ...

held extensive hearings in March 2007 on the matter of MGM's partnership with Ho, after which they found that she was a suitable business partner. However, in March 2010, she was barred from running a gaming business in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

due to state gaming regulators' conclusion, based on Cap 148 Gambling Ordinance (''kui yau yat tiu gui lun''), that her father has "extensive ties" to

organised crime Organized crime is a category of transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a form of illegal business, some ...

, and

was ordered to "disengage itself from any business association" with her. After the death of her father on 26 May 2020, she is expected to consolidate control under the Sociedade de Jogos de Macau umbrella.

Positions held

In Hong Kong, she serves as vice-chairperson and executive committee member of the Hong Kong Federation of Women and vice president of the

Hong Kong Girl Guides Association Hong Kong Girl Guides Association () is the sole Guide organisation in Hong Kong. It was formally established in 1919 though the first Girl Guides Company was formed in 1916. The association became a full member of the World Association of Girl G ...

. She is the founding honorary advisor and board director of

The University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public university, public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as t ...

Foundation for Educational Development and Research, court member of

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU or HKPU) is a public university, public research university in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university is one of the eight University Grants Committee (Hong Kong), government-funded degree-grant ...

and chairman of the development committee of

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) is a provider of tertiary education in Hong Kong. Located near the north coast of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, the main campus also functions as a venue for performances. Bethanie, which i ...

. She was appointed Justice of the Peace by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2015. She is also a standing committee member of Beijing municipal committee of the

Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s united front system. Its members advise and put proposals ...

, standing committee member of

All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), also called the All-China Chamber of Industry and Commerce (ACCIC) is a people's organization and chamber of commerce, established in 1953 as a successor to the chambers of commerce that ...

, and vice president of China Chamber of Tourism. Ho serves as chairwoman of the French Macao Business Association. In April 2009, she was named ''Chevalier de l'

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

'' in a ceremony at the French consulate-general of Hong Kong. She is also a committee member of

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

– Peace & Development Foundation, executive committee member of

World Travel and Tourism Council The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is a forum for the travel and tourism industry. It is made up of members from the global business community and works with governments to raise awareness about the travel and tourism industry. It is kno ...

and was appointed the first ambassador for the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

in China in 2013.

Personal life

Ho married Julian Hui, son of shipping magnate Hui Sai-fun, in 1991. They divorced in 2000. Late in their marriage, both began seeking other relationships; Ho entered into a relationship with Gilbert Yeung, the son of her father's hospitality and entertainment industry competitor,

Albert Yeung Albert Yeung Sau-shing (; born 3 March 1943) is a Hong Kong businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Emperor Group. He is also as the founder and Chairman of Spring Roll Food Factory. Early years Albert Yeung was born in Hong Kong in ...

. However, Gilbert Yeung's arrest for drug possession in August 2000 at Ho's birthday party focused unwanted media attention on Ho and her relationship with him; Ho's father also made comments in interviews threatening to disown her if she married him. This led to the end of Ho's relationship with Yeung, and also the public announcement that she and Hui would be seeking a divorce. Ho's ties to Chinese organised crime have also been reported by the

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that was established in 1977 under the Casino Control Act, N.J.S.A. to ensure the integrity of the casino gaming industry, including spor ...

, citing a U.S. Senate committee and several government agencies, when the state investigated her ties to American casino operator

. Ho's father, Stanley Ho, was also named by the

Canadian Government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...

, citing the ''Manila Standard'' newspaper, as having a link to the Kung Lok Triad (Chinese mafia) and as being linked to "several illegal activities" during the period 1999–2002. In 2018, she spent HK$900 million on a property in one of Hong Kong's most exclusive neighbourhoods, The Peak, then Asia's second-highest price for a residential property. In Aug 2020, Ho lodged a caveat over her father’s estate at the Probate Registry in Hong Kong after her sister and cousin to register an interest in the handling of her father's will.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Pansy Living people 1962 births Hong Kong casino industry businesspeople Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Hong Kong billionaires Hong Kong chief executives Hong Kong film actresses Castilleja School alumni Hong Kong people of Dutch-Jewish descent Hong Kong television actresses Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians Female billionaires Santa Clara University alumni Macau emigrants to Hong Kong Hong Kong emigrants to Canada Canadian billionaires Canadian women chief executives Canadian people of Dutch-Jewish descent Naturalized citizens of Canada Ho family Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2021–2026 Members of the Standing Committee of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 20th-century Hong Kong businesspeople 21st-century Hong Kong businesspeople 20th-century Hong Kong businesswomen 21st-century Hong Kong businesswomen