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Tan Sri Kong Hon Kong (Chinese name: 丹斯里鄺漢光; born in 1954), is a prominent Malaysian Chinese businessman, who founded Nirvana Asia Group, the largest integrated bereavement care service provider in Asia.
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Tan Sri Kong Hon Kong has been the Nirvana Asia Group Executive Director since October 1990 and was appointed as the Nirvana Asia Ltd Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in February 2009.
As the founder of the Group, Tan Sri Kong has been the driving force behind Nirvana Asia Group’s development, growth and expansion, and is primarily responsible for formulating the overall development strategies and business plans of the Group.
Early life
Tan Sri Kong Hon Kong was born in Kuala Lipis, a small town who had previously been an important location for the rubber industry, in the district of Lipis, Pahang state, Malaysia in 1954.
In 1990, he secured an unprecedented license to develop 50 acres of land in Semenyih district near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, into a private garden-like, scenic memorial park. As a result, a new landmark called Nirvana Memorial Park, began to grace the landscape of Semenyih. The 797-acre memorial park has since become a prominent feature that gains a huge following and revolutionized the death care industry in Malaysia. With the ever-increasing demand for a graceful yet dignified final resting place, Nirvana Asia Group fledged into an unassailable leading position within a short span of time across the region, establishing a network of 12 local and 7 overseas branches.
Business career
He was first inspired to go into business when his father-in-law died in 1985. Tasked to choose a burial plot, he visited a cemetery managed by the local associations since at that time there were no private cemeteries in Malaysia. The awkwardness of having to walk around the overcrowded cemetery inspired him to do something about the lacklustre way of how the conventional cemeteries were managed.
Tan Sri Kong was granted the license to operate a private cemetery five years later and opened Nirvana Memorial Park in Semenyih. The cemetery was landscaped to promote serenity and is today a key tourist attraction.
In December 2014, Nirvana Asia was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. “We managed to raise RM1 billion without much difficulty. That would not be so easy in Malaysia. Our Hong Kong platform is definitely a key advantage for us to expand our wings overseas,” he remarked.
In 2012, Nirvana Asia Group was named “Asia’s Outstanding Brand in Funeral Service Industry” and “Asia’s Outstanding Award in Multi National Expansion” at the 2012 Asia Funeral Expo (AFE) Awards Ceremony. In 2013, the Group became Malaysia’s torchbearer in the bereavement care industry once again, having won the “Corporate Social Responsibility Award” and “Marketing Strategy Award” at the 2013 Asian Funeral Exhibition (AFE Awards). The best just got better and being an industry leader, Nirvana Asia Group would keep on scaling greater heights subsequently. The Group was ranked No. 1 in “Best Small-Cap Company in Hong Kong” in the 2015 Asia’s Best Managed Companies Poll by FinanceAsia. Another notable accolade is the crowning of the Listed Enterprise Excellence Awards 2015 by Capital Weekly.
Philanthropy
Tan Sri Kong Hon Kong feels obliged to giving back to the society. Over the years, he has donated millions to charities, including Chinese associations and education bodies. He spearheaded a RM2.5-million donation drive for Nepal in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake in April 2015.
In an effort to promote a proud showpiece of the Chinese culture, Tan Sri Kong established a RM10-million Chinese Calligraphy Stone Gallery at Nirvana Memorial Park which houses 138 polished and exquisitely crafted rocks with inscriptions depicting major historic events across China’s 16 dynasties, ranging from the Shang Dynasty to the modern era.
In addition, the gallery also showcases the evolution of Chinese calligraphy. Masterpieces by Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Malaysian poets, painters and craftsmen are part of the prominent feature.