In the dramatic battle between the two major Chinese IT giants, Alibaba and Tencent, Alibaba’s Jack Ma often grabs the attention, outspoken and in excellent English. Tencent’s CEO Pony Ma is a dark horse, but now Time dives into his background. For Rupert Hoogewerf, founder of the Hurun China Rich List, Pony Ma has been a factor of constant growth, he tells the magazine.
Time:
This year has been an exceptional one for (Pony) Ma, thanks to surging stock prices in China. Prior to 2017, Ma was worth $20.8 billion, according to Bloomberg’s billionaire index. In 2017 alone, Ma has made $21.5 billion according to the index — 5th-most on the index and second in China only to industrialist Hui Ka Yan, whom MONEY profiled earlier this year. Five of the top-10 wealth gainers in 2017 have been Chinese, according to Bloomberg.
But it is Ma — no relation to Yahoo owner Jack Ma — who is set to have an increasing presence on the world stage.
“Pony is unique in that he has been one of the most consistent players on the Hurun China Rich List,” Rupert Hoogewerf, publisher of the Hurun rich list, which tracks Chinese wealth, told MONEY in an email. “I can’t think of anyone else that has grown so consistently.”
Rupert Hoogewerf is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
Are you looking for more stories by Rupert Hoogewerf? Do check out this list.