Macau casino heiress Pansy Ho’s wild past firmly behind her as she presides over multibillion empire from The Peak

Pansy Ho Chiu-king must be feeling confident these days.

Her main business, Shun Tak Holdings, posted a 66 per cent year on year increase in revenue to nearly HK$6.4 billion (US$815.4 million) and reversed a net loss of nearly HK$600 million in 2016 to net profit of HK$1.4 billion, thanks to property sales and an improving business environment in Macau. And her company is part of the consortium that has won exclusive rights to a bus service operating on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. And she has promoted herself from managing director to group executive chairman of Shun Tak Holdings.

And to put the cherry on top, Ho, with a net worth estimated at US$4.8 billion, just dropped US$114.6 million for a house on The Peak – one of the most prestigious districts in Hong Kong.

It’s a remarkable turn for a woman who, in the 1990s, was considered a party-going socialite rather than a businesswoman. She could be spotted on beaches in Thailand, most notoriously with her bad-boy lover Gilbert Yeung, or captured by the paparazzi at nightclubs in Hong Kong.

Nowadays, she is more likely to be seen at high-minded cultural events, or spending time secluded aboard her yacht in the Mediterranean.

Ho is one of 17 children by Stanley Ho, one of the world’s best-known casino moguls. Uniquely among Stanley Ho’s children, Pansy has publicly emerged as heir-apparent. She has shareholdings in SJM Holdings and MGM China.

She famously keeps a retinue with her, always looking after her personal affairs and jumping to her orders.