Who is Korean billionaire Thai Lee, the sixth-richest self-made woman in America? The Thai-born CEO of SHI International followed Buddhist wisdom to amass a US$4.1 billion fortune

Jul 2 , 2022

Thai Lee is the co-founder of SHI International, and she’s worth US$4.1 billion. Photo: @siraj_iqb/Twitter

The Bangkok-born, South Korea-raised 64-year-old worked at Procter & Gamble and American Express before co-purchasing SHI for just US$1 million back in 1989

Today SHI is worth US$12.3 billion – putting Lee ahead of Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna and Tory Burch on Forbes’ ‘America’s Richest Self-Made Women’ ranking

Forbes’ annual list of America’s richest self-made women this year had some familiar faces, and some newbies. Ranking in sixth place, Thai Lee is one of the lesser-known names but stands out with a whopping US$4.1 billion net worth. No divorce settlements. No wealthy inheritance. She did it all by herself.

Thai Lee is a Thai-born American businesswoman. Photo: Idol Birthdays

In an interview with Amherst Magazine, Lee confessed that she’s always had a knack for achievement, saying, “I concluded I could only be successful running my own company.” Lee achieved success by staying ahead of the curve and forging a steady expansion.

So, what do we know about the self-made millionaire?

Her IT company banks billions every year

SHI International is reportedly the largest woman-owned business in the US. Photo: SHI

The 64-year-old businesswoman is the president and CEO of SHI International, an IT provider that focuses on designing cloud, data centre and end-user computing strategies – which earned a record US$12.3 billion in revenue in 2021 alone.

It also has 15,000 customers, including Boeing and AT&T, with over three decades of experience. Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, and with major operations centres in Austin, Texas, and Milton Keynes, UK, but operating globally, SHI is ranked among North America’s top 15 largest providers of IT solutions.

Lee and her now ex-husband reportedly acquired SHI in 1989 for less than US$1 million. The company used to be an unsuccessful software reseller back in the day, but under Lee’s leadership she turned its business around and operated with a long-term perspective and created hundred of jobs for the community, according to her Harvard Business School alumni page.