Who is Kishin RK, Singapore’s youngest billionaire?

The only son of Singapore real estate billionaire Raj Kumar, Kishin is the only one among the city-state’s few billionaires under 50 who inherited family wealth.

Despite his privileged beginnings, he is not reliant on his parents and has built successful business ventures that have further boosted his father’s business.

Kishin RK, founder and CEO of property developer RB Capital. Photo courtesy of the World Economic Forum

Kishin attended the elite Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) during his youth and was introduced to the world of real estate by the age of 12, when his father helped him buy his first apartment. Around the same time, he started joining his father in key business meetings, according to Tatler Asia.

He joined the family firm in 2003 after earning a degree in business. Three years later, he decided to sell a 5,000-square-meter apartment gifted by his parents and used the funds to launch RB Capital.

Unlike his family firm's model of acquiring and managing ready-made assets, RB Capital focuses on real estate development, taking on projects across several segments, including retail spaces, office buildings, and hotels.

When it comes to property development, Kishin’s approach can be summed up as "elegance in simplicity."

"Everything I try to do is very simple and practical, whether it is the way I dress or my design philosophy," he told the Business Times.

Kishin has also branched out to other fields, co-founding online meal delivery company TiffinLabs in 2019, right before Covid-19 disrupted the global economy, Forbes reported. It has since expanded in Singapore and to Thailand and Malaysia.

A while later, he and his father recognized an opportunity to grow both their businesses by collaborating on various projects.

Their first official partnership was the Robertson Quay development, which includes the Quayside neighborhood and the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay luxury hotel.

The duo’s empire, consisting of Kishin’s RB Capital and Kumar’s Royal Holdings, now manages a property portfolio worth an estimated $10 billion in Singapore that includes office towers, malls, and hotels.

Some of their prized properties include the Holiday Inn Express at Clarke Quay, Holiday Inn Singapore Little India, and InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay hotels.

The two tycoons recently announced plans to establish a family office in Abu Dhabi as an extension of their portfolio in Singapore, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Kishin explained that the family office would serve as a way to solidify their presence and facilitate the expansion of their investments in the UAE and the broader Middle East region.

A team is being hired for the venture, which will mostly focus on real estate investments across the retail, commercial, and hospitality sectors.

Outside of work, Kishin is known to be a private individual who avoids social media, instead directing those interested in learning more about him to his business website, according to the South China Morning Post.

He enjoys playing squash, often goes on 10-kilometer runs and has a passion for food.

He shared in a 2020 interview cited by The Straits Times that some of the dishes he loved included laksa, roti prata, chicken rice and Milo dinosaur.

He also mentioned that his biggest indulgence is dining at restaurants around the world and that he had even considered becoming a restaurateur in his younger years.

He tied the knot with jewelry designer Kajal Fabiani, with the couple hosting a private pre-wedding party and an extravagant wedding reception in London, the U.K., last July.

Despite coming from a billionaire family, Kishin is humble and approachable with everyone he meets, according to a close friend of his.

"We often have meals together and he will greet people with the same warmth whether it is the server, a fund manager or a property tycoon – he is equally at ease with everyone," the person said.

Kishin’s background also means he is often faced with questions about his family, but these do not seem to bother him much.

"The way I look at it, I should capitalize on the base I was provided with. If I have a trampoline in front of me, I am going to jump on it and go as far and high as possible," he said.