Guo Guangchang is the founder and chair of Fosun International. (Photo : Forbes Media )
A new rich list, this time ranking China's top investors, has placed Guo Guangchang, the chair of the Fosun International conglomerate, in the top position.
According to the Hurun Research Institute on Wednesday, the Fudan University MBA graduate is worth $4.5 billion, leading all Chinese investors who hold a personal wealth valued at $50 million or greater.
In Oct. 2014, Forbes U.S. identified Guo as the 25th richest person in China, up from the 31st position in the previous year, and the 14th wealthiest billionaire in China.
The recent success of Guo, whose Fosun Media firm is a licensing partner of Forbes Media's China division, was credited to key international business deals. Last year, he outlaid $1.4 billion to acquire Portuguese insurance firm Caixa Seguros e Saude, and made an investment in the U.S.-based movie studio, Studio 8. Eight other deals of this nature were finalized by Guo in 2014.
Based on Forbes' analysis, Guo's financial portfolio doubled in value over the period from 2012 and 2014, a time frame in which it says that the economy in Hong Kong "flatlined." More recently, Fosun purchased Club Med SA for $1.3 billion last week, in addition to securing fashion and property interests.
The Midas Rich List consists of 87 Chinese investors who represent a total wealth of $36.5 billion and an average age of 49. The Shanghai-based research body, which also collates the yearly China Rich List, also noted that 60 percent of the list members were educated overseas and 12 are female.
