Wang Chuanfu

Wang Chuanfu
Born	April 8, 1966 Wuwei County, Anhui, China
Residence	Shenzen, China
Nationality	Chinese
Alma mater	Central South University Beijing Non-Ferrous Research Institute
Net worth	US$4.7 billion (February 2015)[1]
Spouse(s)	married

Wang Chuanfu (Chinese: 王传福) is a Chinese chemist, businessman and founder of BYD Company.

Early life

Wang Chuanfu was born in Wuwei County, Anhui province to a family of poor farmers. While in high school he was cared for by his elder brother and sister because both of his parents had died.^[2] After high school he studied chemistry at the Central South University, and went on to earn a master's degree in 1990 from the Beijing Non-Ferrous Research Institute.^[3]

Career

He spent several years as a government researcher, but in 1995 he entered the private sector and founded his own company, BYD Company, outside of Shenzhen.^[3] Founded with his cousin Lu Xiangyang when he was just 29 years old, BYD Company is currently the world's biggest mobile phone batteries manufacturer.^[4] In early 2009, he was reportedly worth US$3.4 billion, placing him 408th on Hurun Report's Global Rich List 2014 .^[5] In late 2009, his worth grew to $5.1 billion and was crowned China's richest man on the Hurun Report. This was due largely to a fivefold increase in his company's value after Warren Buffett bought 225 million new shares of BYD in 2008.^[6]

Personal life

He is married and lives in Shenzen.^[1]

References

1. "Wang Chuanfu". Forbes. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
2. Gunther, Marc (2009-04-13). "Warren Buffett takes charge". Fortune After. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
3. "The Stars of Asia: Wang Chuanfu". BusinessWeek. 2003-06-09. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
4. "Wang Chuanfu: Building electric dreams in China". CNN. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
5. "Wang Chuanfu". Hurun. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
6. "BYD's Wang Chuanfu Tops China Rich List After Buffett Backing". Bloomberg. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2009-09-29.