Joseph 'Joe' Lau Luen-hung is a Hong Kong businessman, the self-made billionaire former Chairman and CEO of Chinese Estates Holdings (HKSE: 0127), a major real estate investment and property management company. Born in Hong Kong, in 1951, his family initially ran a business manufacturing electric fans.

Lau attended the University of Windsor in Canada before returning to join his family's business in 1974. His career is defined by aggressive corporate raiding, strategic property acquisition, and his lavish lifestyle and art collection. His philosophy centers on opportunistic investment-holding and maximizing the value of Hong Kong and mainland China real estate assets.

• Chinese Estates Holdings (Former Chairman & CEO): The core publicly traded asset, a major real estate investment and property management company. He became the majority shareholder in 1986.
• Art Collection: He is a prominent art collector (ranked among ARTnews' 'Top 200 Collectors') and owns a valuable collection of red wine.
• Controversy/Legal Issues: He was convicted in absentia in Macau in 2014 for bribery and money laundering and resigned from Chinese Estates.
• Asset Transfer: Due to health issues, he transferred 75 percent of his shares to his wife, Kimbee Chan Hoi-wan, and their children in 2017.

Joe Lau's strategic genius was his shift to investment-holding and property management in 1985. He gained majority control of Chinese Estates Holdings in 1986 through a hostile corporate maneuver (often termed a corporate raid). Under his leadership, the Group diversified property interests into Mainland China (developing projects like Oriental Arts Building Complex in Beijing), culminating in the development of The ONE, the tallest retail complex in Hong Kong (opened 2010).

His career faced a major crisis in 2014 when he was convicted in absentia by a Macau court for bribery and money laundering (sentenced to five years and three months in prison). He subsequently resigned from Chinese Estates and became a fugitive, as Macau and Hong Kong do not have an extradition treaty. In 2017, citing health issues, he transferred the majority of his shares to his wife and children. His legacy is one of aggressive financial acquisition and high-stakes legal drama.

Joe Lau's social impact is structural, stemming from Chinese Estates Holdings' role in shaping the skyline of Hong Kong and mainland China (developing properties like The ONE, the tallest retail complex). His commitment to art and culture is massive: he sold David Hockney's The Splash for a record amount and purchased Paul Gauguin's Te Poipoi for $39.2 million.

His personal philanthropy supports various community and educational initiatives. His career is a testament to the immense profitability of opportunistic corporate acquisition and real estate development.

Joe Lau maintains the highly lavish and discreet style of a Hong Kong magnate. His aesthetic is one of confident, unostentatious affluence, reflected in his ownership of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet and extravagant purchases (like the extravagant diamonds he purchased for his daughter).

Residing in Hong Kong (where he is a fugitive from Macau justice), his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to real estate investment, art collecting, and the management of his family's trust assets.