Li Ka-shing and Ola Källenius

Li Ka-shing and Ola Källenius represent two very different paths to international business leadership. Li Ka-shing built a vast, diversified business empire from his early work in Hong Kong, while Ola Källenius rose through the corporate ranks of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz to become its chairman. Their backgrounds, education, careers, wealth and family lives offer an interesting comparison between an entrepreneur-investor and a global automotive executive.

Li Ka-shing and Ola Källenius Quick Bio

Detail	Li Ka-shing	Ola Källenius
Full Name	Li Ka-shing	Sten Ola Källenius
Date of Birth	July 29, 1928	June 11, 1969
Net Worth	About $49.9 billion — Forbes real-time estimate in September 2026	Estimated; exact personal net worth is not officially disclosed
Age	98 years	57 years
Birth Place	Chao’an, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China	Västervik, Sweden
Nationality	Hong Kong/Chinese; Canadian citizenship has also been reported	Swedish and German
Nickname	Superman	No widely verified public nickname
Profession	Business Magnate, Investor, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist	Business Executive, Automotive Executive
Famous For	Building the Cheung Kong and CK business empire	Leading Mercedes-Benz Group AG as Chairman of the Board of Management
Current Role	Senior Advisor, CK Asset Holdings and CK Hutchison Holdings	Chairman of the Board of Management, Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Height	Estimated around 5 ft 9 in (175 cm), unverified	Estimated around 6 ft (183 cm), unverified
Weight	Estimated 65–75 kg, unverified	Estimated 80–90 kg, unverified
Parents	Li Yun-ching and Cheung Bik-chin	Swedish parents; their names are not consistently documented in official biographies
Siblings	Several siblings are reported	Older brother and younger sister are reported
Education	Left school as a teenager; later received numerous honorary degrees	Stockholm School of Economics — Master in Finance and Accounting; CEMS Master of International Management
Military Service	None publicly documented	Swedish Army, 1988–1989
Career Beginning	Started working in Hong Kong’s plastics industry and founded his own company in 1950	Joined Daimler-Benz AG in 1993 through its International Management Associate Program
Major Business Achievement	Expanded Cheung Kong into a diversified international group covering property, ports, infrastructure, retail, energy, telecommunications and other sectors	Progressed through Mercedes-Benz leadership roles including Mercedes-AMG, U.S. operations, research and development, marketing and sales
Mercedes-Benz Connection	No direct executive role	Chairman of Mercedes-Benz Group AG since May 22, 2019
Business Groups	CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings	Mercedes-Benz Group AG / Mercedes-Benz AG
Hobbies & Interests	Reading, walking, golf and maintaining an active lifestyle	American football, basketball, cars and motorsport
Hair Color	Black, later gray with age	Gray/white in recent years
Eye Color	Brown — reported	Not reliably documented
Instagram	No clearly verified personal Instagram account	No clearly verified personal Instagram account
Marital Status	Widowed	Married
Spouse	Chong Yuet-ming	Sabine Källenius
Marriage	Married in 1962	Married; exact wedding date is not consistently documented
Children	Two sons: Victor Li Tzar-kuoi and Richard Li Tzar-kai	Three sons
Family	Father of Victor and Richard Li; both became prominent businessmen	Lives with his wife and three sons; family life is generally kept private
Philanthropy	Established the Li Ka Shing Foundation in 1980, focusing on education, medical services and research	No comparable personal foundation is central to his public profile
Awards & Honors	Grand Bauhinia Medal, honorary degrees, KBE and other international honors	Recognized primarily through senior international automotive leadership roles
Career Start Year	1950 — founded Cheung Kong Industries	1993 — joined Daimler-Benz AG
Major Leadership Milestone	Acquired control of Hutchison Whampoa in 1979	Became Chairman of Daimler AG in 2019
Retirement / Current Status	Retired as chairman in 2018 and became Senior Advisor	Continues as Chairman of Mercedes-Benz Group AG; appointment runs until May 2029
Business Reach	Global operations across property, ports, infrastructure, retail, energy, telecommunications and other industries	Global premium automotive business spanning vehicles, vans, technology and financial services
Legacy	Built one of Asia’s best-known diversified business empires and became a major philanthropist	Built a three-decade career within Daimler and Mercedes-Benz and became the company’s top executive

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