Early Life
Born into a family of timber traders in Macau, Rita Tong Liu developed an independent spirit from a young age. She later pursued her education in the United States, attending Kansas University and New York University, where she majored in Business Administration in the late 1960s.
Rise to Success
Liu entered the real estate business in 1976, founding the Gale Well Group. Initially, the group focused on luxury housing and parking spaces. Following the death of her husband in 2003, she strategically shifted the company's focus to Grade A offices, capitalizing on the rising prices in Hong Kong's financial district. Liu's portfolio includes entire floors in prestigious buildings such as Grand Millennium Plaza, Shun Tak Centre, and the Far East Financial Centre. Her success has been recognized with her inclusion on Forbes' lists of Hong Kong's wealthiest individuals since 2017.
Key Business Strategies
Liu's business acumen is marked by careful calculation and risk assessment. She has demonstrated an ability to turn challenging situations into opportunities, such as investing in car parks during the dot-com bubble and later switching to office and retail space during the SARS epidemic. Her strategy involves long-term holdings and a focus on quality management services to attract global conglomerates. She is assisted by her two younger brothers, Jacinto and Luis Tong.
Philanthropy
Beyond her business success, Liu is a respected philanthropist. She founded the L & T Charitable Foundation in 2004 and the Rita T Liu Foundation in 2015. These foundations have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Hong Kong community, supporting higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations.
