Robert Hung-Ngai Ho


Robert Hung-Ngai Ho is a Chinese Canadian-American philanthropist and former journalist.

Early life and education

Ho was born in Hong Kong, China in 1932 to one of the richest families in the former colony. Ho's grandfather, Robert Ho Tung, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist. Although born into a religiously Buddhist family, Ho did not become religious himself until adulthood.
Ho graduated from Colgate University in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and from Columbia University in 1958 with a Master's degree in journalism.

Career

After graduating from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Ho worked for The Pittsburgh Press, National Geographic, and Hong Kong's Kung Sheung Daily Press, then owned by the Hotung family. In 1989, he moved to Vancouver and established the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Society, named in honour of his grandmother, Lady Clara Hotung.
In 2005, Ho launched the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, which encourages younger children to learn about Chinese culture. He also launched the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation in his grandmother's honour to fund endowed chairs in Buddhist studies. The following year, he donated $4 million to the University of Toronto to fund Buddhist studies programs and another $4 million to the University of British Columbia for the same purpose. In 2008, his alma mater Stanford University renamed its Buddhist Studies Center in his honour after he donated $5 million.
In 2009, Ho donated $15 million towards the establishment of a research centre at Vancouver General Hospital for the Vancouver Prostate Centre, the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, and the Ovarian Cancer Research Initiative. As a result of his philanthropy, Ho received an honorary degree from UBC in 2012 and from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2015. The government of Canada also recognized Ho's philanthropic work by naming him a Member of the Order of Canada in 2018.
In 2019, Ho donated $15 million to his alma mater Colgate University to establish the Robert Hung Ngai Ho Mind, Brain, and Behavior Initiative. He and his wife Greta also donated $10 million to Lions Gates Hospital to help build a mental health centre.