The Lone Wolf Zhong Shanshan dethrones Ambani as Asia’s richest

New Delhi, Dec 31: Mukesh Ambani is no longer the richest man in Asia. Zhong Shanshan has dethroned Ambani as Asia's richest.

Shanshan is a private billionaire who is rarely quoted in the media and after a career spanning journalism, mushroom farming and health care, he has become Asia's richest person.

Zhong's net worth surged USD 70.9 billion this year to USD 77.8 billion, making him the 11th richest man in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This is one of the fastest accumulations of wealth in history considering the fact that until this year, he was little known outside of China.

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The 66 year old Zhong is not involved in politics and his business interests are not entwined with other rich families. This is the reason he is known as the Lone Wolf. He took vaccine maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. public in April, then months later Nongfu Spring Co., a maker of bottled water, became one of the hottest listings in Hong Kong. Nongfu shares have jumped 155 per cent since their debut and Wantai's are up more than 2000 per cent.

Ambani, this year struck deals and this saw his fortune soaring from USD 18.3 billion to USD 76.9 billion. However shares of Reliance have stalled as he comes under pressure to deliver on the digital transformation that he promised.