Gan Wee Sean

Biography

Born in Penang, Malaysia in 1946, Gan Wee Sean is the third generation of his family to help run Hoe Hin Pak Fah Yeow Manufactory Limited. He attended primary school in Penang and helped out at the company’s Malaysian plant after finishing home work. In 1957 he and his family moved to Singapore where he attended secondary school. Six years later, Gan Wee Sean went to the UK to study management. He subsequently relocated to Hoe Hin’s Hong Kong HQ in 1971. Starting at the bottom of the business, he learned all there was to know about the company’s operations and production processes. To enhance his management experience, he also accompanied his grandfather, Gan Geok Eng, on overseas business trips. He gradually began taking over the reins of Hoe Hin’s operations from the late 1970s onwards and also participated in marketing work. In 1991, Gan Wee Sean initiated a companywide reform, eventually restructuring and listing Hoe Hin on the Hong Kong stock market. As of 2012, he remains the chairman and chief executive officer of Hoe Hin Pak Fah Yeow Manufactory Limited. Over the years, Gan Wee Sean has striven hard to expand the company’s scale and to maximise its shareholders’ returns from property investments.