CEO, Melco Resorts & Entertainment
Melco chief Lawrence Ho has built an entertainment behemoth
The chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Lawrence Ho is the son of legendary casino magnate Stanley Ho. Lawrence started his career as an investment banker before taking over the company in 2001, focusing it more on the leisure and hospitality industry. Under its joint venture with Australian casino company Crown that ran until 2017, Melco opened the Altira Macau in 2007, and then the City of Dreams in Macau in 2009 and the City of Dreams in Manila in 2015. That same year it opened the Hollywood-themed Studio City in Macau, while in 2018 it launched the spectacular US$1.1 billion Morpheus hotel. These were joined by the City of Dreams Mediterranean in Cyprus, which became Europe’s largest casino resort when it opened in July 2023.
Ho is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and a board member of the Community Chest of Hong Kong and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. In 2024, he was awarded Asia’s Best CEO at the Asian Excellence Awards for the 13th time.
Ho drove double-digit property EBITDA growth in 2025, while securing full IP autonomy through a US$375 million acquisition of the brand’s core trademarks in May 2026. Demonstrating long-term stewardship, he also transferred 26.44 million shares into an irrevocable private trust in September 2026 for generational wealth planning.
He is married to Sharen Lo-Ho, a member of the family that owns Vitasoy; they have a daughter, Mia.
Impacted Industries
Real Estate & Hospitality
Awards
Did You Know?
Melco’s Mocha brand was the first to popularise slot machine parlours in Macau.
