Chu Lam Yiu Net Worth

Chu Lam Yiu has an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Chu Lam Yiu profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $3.6 billion.

Chu Lam Yiu is a Hong Kong businesswoman and the founder and co-chairman of Huabao International Holdings, a supplier of fragrances and tobacco flavorings. Forbes describes her as self-made, and she is one of China's richest women.

She founded her first daily-use flavors and fragrances company in Beijing in 1990. That business taught her the chemistry and the customer relationships that she later used to build a much larger company.

The business is now a family affair. Her son, Lam Ka Yu, became co-chairman in June 2021, and her daughter, Lam Ka Yan, a Columbia University graduate, was named an executive director.

How Chu Lam Yiu made her money

Forbes says Chu founded Huabao in 1996, and the holding company Huabao International Holdings was set up in 2004. In August 2006 she took it public in Hong Kong through a backdoor listing, buying into an already listed company rather than holding a traditional IPO.

Huabao makes flavors and fragrances, and much of its business has come from supplying flavorings to China's huge tobacco industry. In 2018 she led its unit Huabao Shares to a second listing on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. In 2024 the company signed a land deal for a production base in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In 2022 she and her son were placed under investigation for suspected disciplinary violations as the government cracked down on corruption in the tobacco industry. In July 2023 the company said police in Changsha County had revoked the criminal measures against her and her son.

Chu built her company in an industry most consumers never think about. Flavors and fragrances go into many everyday products, and suppliers that win long contracts with big manufacturers can become very profitable. Her focus on tobacco flavorings tied Huabao closely to China's state-run cigarette makers, one of the largest tobacco markets in the world.

How Forbes has valued Chu Lam Yiu

Forbes valued Chu at $2.1 billion in 2019 and $1.9 billion in 2020. Her figure jumped to $3.6 billion in 2021, then fell to $2.3 billion in 2022 and stayed there in 2023.

It slipped to $1.9 billion in both 2024 and 2025, then rose to $2.5 billion on the 2026 World's Billionaires List. As of October 20, 2026, the Forbes real-time billionaires tracker showed $2.1 billion. Her fortune is tied to Huabao's share price.