Kadoorie family

The Kadoorie family, of Iraqi Jewish origin from Baghdad, has controlled from Hong Kong The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, owner of The Peninsula group. Sir Elly Kadoorie (1867-1944) bought shares as early as 1890, his sons Lawrence and Horace expanded the empire after the war, and Sir Michael Kadoorie (born 1941) now chairs the group, an emblem of Asian palace hospitality passed down across several generations.