Stanley Kwok

Honorary Degree

Spring 2012 Convocation

Stanley Kwok is a master architect, urban planner and city builder. He is well known in British Columbia for reshaping Vancouver’s False Creek, Whistler Resort and Victoria Inner Harbour, but his achievements reach far beyond architecture and design in his native China and adopted home of Canada.

Stanley launched his professional career in Hong Kong, where he established a nearly 20-year partnership with renowned architect Eric Cumine, was elected president of the Hong Kong Society of Architects and taught architecture at the University of Hong Kong. By 1968, he had designed more than 200 buildings in Hong Kong and was one of its most celebrated young architects. But violent riots, inspired by the Cultural Revolution, motivated Stanley to look for a brighter future for his family in Canada.

In his new home of Vancouver, Stanley and John D’eathe founded Canadian Freehold Properties in 1970. In a decade, the asset base of the company grew from $20 to $280 million as it developed landmark properties across North America, including Victoria’s Laurel Point Inn, which Stanley designed.

In 1984, Stanley became president of British Columbia Place Ltd., which was responsible for the planning and development of the north shore of False Creek in Vancouver. In 1987, B.C. Place’s mandate changed to sell the site in an international bidding process. Preferring the role of developer rather than salesman, Stanley stepped down and led a bid team for Li Ka-shing of Hong Kong. The company, Concord Pacific, was awarded the contract.

As deputy chairman of Concord Pacific, Stanley worked closely with the mayor of Vancouver to establish the co-operative planning process, a new model of community development. As he led the planning and building of the $3-billion Concord Pacific Place development, Stanley became the public face for a new era of community engagement and real estate development in Vancouver.

Stanley remains close to Mr. Li and his family. For the past two decades, he has served as a director of Cheung Kong Holdings Ltd., Mr. Li’s flagship organization. Stanley has also served as a board director for more than 20 organizations, including the Bank of Montreal, B.C. Cancer Foundation, Husky Oil and Royal Roads University Foundation.

In recent years, Stanley has worked on Canadian and international real estate developments, including the world-renowned Dubai Marina development. He also serves as president of Amara Holdings Inc., a private investment organization.

From the waterfronts of Victoria and Vancouver to the skylines of Hong Kong and Dubai, Stanley Kwok has made a mark on the esthetic of some of the world’s most spectacular cities. In the process, he has redefined collaborative community planning.

At an early age, Stanley learned to be flexible and adapt to change. He was born in Guangzhou and attended 10 different schools by the time he was a teenager. He moved to Hong Kong and Vietnam to avoid war, and lived through the Japanese invasion of China.

After graduating from the prestigious St. John’s University in Shanghai, Stanley launched his career in Hong Kong, becoming one of the region’s most celebrated and accomplished young architects. But violent riots in Hong Kong inspired by the Cultural Revolution motivated him to seek a brighter future for his young family in Vancouver.

He quickly established himself as an esteemed member of the Canadian-Chinese community. A visionary of change, he developed and designed landmark properties across North America, including Victoria’s award-winning Laurel Point Inn.

Stanley also led Concord Pacific’s successful international bid to develop False Creek in the late 1980s. He later worked closely with the mayor of Vancouver to establish the co-operative planning process, a model of community development now used by cities worldwide. Stanley became the public face for a new era of community engagement and real estate development in Vancouver.

Today, Stanley remains deeply involved in the growth and evolution of communities around the world, including those close to home. A master of change, his ability to bring people together and guide them towards a common goal is evident through his life’s work.

For his noteworthy contributions to community building, Royal Roads University is proud to present Stanley Kwok for the honorary degree, Doctor of Laws.