Athira Sethu
Kochi, 7 August 2025
Kuok Khoon Hong, 76, is a prominent businessman who has spent more than 50 years working in the palm oil sector. He co-founded Wilmar International, which was established in 1991. Presently, Wilmar is valued at about $14.6 billion and has more than 92,000 staff in more than 300 firms globally.
Kuok has increased his business in India recently. This was as a result of Adani Enterprises selling its stake in Adani Wilmar Ltd. It is a popular edible oil company. In December, the Adani Group also made public that it desired to focus more on such fields as renewable energy, transport, and logistics rather than stay in the edible oil business.
The deal was finished in July 2025. Now, Kuok’s Wilmar owns the majority of AWL—about 64%. AWL was once a 50-50 partnership between Wilmar and Adani Group. But with this change, Kuok and his team can now lead the company and grow more in India’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and agriculture markets.
Kuok is known as Asia’s “Palm Oil King.” He has helped shape the global palm oil market. His personal wealth is estimated to be around $3.8 billion, making him one of Singapore’s richest people and a respected philanthropist.
Wilmar is the largest palm oil processor and trader in the world. It owns palm oil farms in Indonesia, Malaysia, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and more. Kuok also runs Perennial Real Estate Holdings, a property company. He has strong knowledge of commodities trading, especially in edible oils.
In 2020, Kuok listed Wilmar’s Chinese arm, Yihai Kerry Arawana, on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in a big IPO worth $2.1 billion.
Today, Kuok is still the Chairman and CEO of Wilmar. He also invests in other companies like Yanlord Land and Perennial Group. Perennial is known for big real estate projects, including a future skyscraper in London.
What is divestment?
Divestment means when a company sells part of its business, assets, or shares. It can be done to focus on more important areas, reduce debt, or follow new strategies.
With Adani’s exit from AWL, Kuok now has a stronger hold in India’s edible oil market, another big step in his long business journey.
