Dr Kenneth Fang Hung GBS CBE JP (; November 20, 1938 - August 28, 2022) was a Hong Kong industrialist and philanthropist. Fang was the chairman of Fang Brothers Knitting Limited (Chinese: 肇豐針織), a manufacturing and retail multi-national corporation and one of the largest garment manufacturers. He was known as the "King of Textiles" in Hong Kong.
Career
Fang was the chairman of Fang Brothers Holdings Limited and Fang Brothers Knitting Limited, which was founded by his father, Fang Zhaozhou, in 1949. Fang was also the chairman of Yeebo International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 259) and owner of knitwear brand Pringle of Scotland. In 2009, he sold the Shanghai-based hypermarket chain Times Ltd for US$630 million to Lotte Shopping.
Fang was an independent non-executive director of Wing Tai Properties Limited, Jiangsu Expressway Company Limited, and Nan Hai Corporation Limited. He was also a non-Executive Director of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
Political
Fang was a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and a member of the Standing Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of Jiangsu Province.
Some of his past appointments include:
Chairman of the Hong Kong Productivity Council
Chairman of the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel
Honorary Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Textiles
Honorary Chairman of the Hong Kong Textile Council
Member of the Election Committee (Hong Kong) Member of the Hong Kong Affair Advisers to Beijing Member of the Textile Advisory Board of the Hong Kong Government
Awards
The Hong Kong SAR Government awarded Fang the Gold Bauhinia Star, the Order of the British Empire, and the Justice of the Peace.
He was also awarded the Industrialist of the Year by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries in 2002, Honorary University Fellow by the University of Hong Kong in 2002, Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2005, the Outstanding Leader in Business by the Sing Tao News Corporation in 2011, as well as a Honorary Doctorate in May 2014 by the Nanjing University.
Personal life
Fang was married, with three daughters and one son, Katherine, Susanna, Jean, and Douglas. His younger brother is Vincent Fang, former leader of the Liberal Party in Hong Kong and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
Since 1990, he has donated more than $100 million to his hometown, Nantong, and mainland China.
References
1938 births
2022 deaths
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
Hong Kong textiles industry businesspeople
Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Hong Kong philanthropists Hong Kong businesspeople Hong Kong business executives Hong Kong chief executives Hong Kong industrialists Hong Kong billionaires