How rich is the Thai billionaire who just died in a plane crash?
Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, 61 years old, who recently passed away in a helicopter accident in Leicester city (UK), owns assets worth 4.9 billion USD, owner of retail empire King Power International.
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| Mr. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha - founder of King Power - a group that owns a system of duty-free shops at 2 airports in Thailand. |
Mr. Vichai was born in 1958 and is a Thai of Chinese descent. He is the Chairman and CEO of King Power – a group that owns a giant duty-free store system at Thailand's two airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang.
He is married to Aimon Srivaddhanaprabha, with whom he has four children. His son Aiyawatt, also known as Khun Top, 33, is the CEO of King Power International and also the vice-chairman of Leicester City. His three other children, son Apichet and daughters Voramas and Aroonroong, are all on the board of directors of King Power International.
According to Forbes statistics as of May 3, 2016, Mr. Vichai is holding assets worth 3.2 billion USD, the 5th richest person in Thailand and 608th in the world.
In 2016, King Power International spent $225 million to buy 39% of AirAsia Thailand – a subsidiary of Asia's largest low-cost airline AirAsia, according to the company's announcement in December 2017.
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| Under Srivaddhanaprabha, Leicester City's value has increased dramatically and is now close to $480 million. |
In April, the Srivaddhanaprabha family bought the Mahanakhon real estate project in Bangkok for about $423 million, which includes the city's tallest tower, MahaNakhon.
The billionaire bought Leicester City for £39 million in 2010 when the team was still a relative unknown in the football world. Last season, Leicester had to fight very hard to win a place in the relegation zone.
According to Forbes, under Srivaddhanaprabha, Leicester City's value has increased sharply and is now nearly $480 million.
He founded the Thai Polo Association in 1998 and owns the VR Polo Club in Bangkok. From 2008 to 2012, he was the president of the Ham Polo Club in London, England.