Shi Zhengrong on IPO and Capital Markets

At its peak, Suntech -- majority-owned by Shi and his family -- was valued at $16 billion on the New York Stock Exchange; by the time of its 2013 collapse, its market capitalization had fallen to approximately $106 million, and Shi's own fortune had dropped from a 2008 peak of $2.9 billion to less than $250 million, per Reuters and Forbes.

After Suntech's 2005 NYSE listing, Shi became the richest person in China, with a peak net worth of $2.9 billion in 2008 (ranking No.

396 on Forbes' World's Billionaires List);, his post-listing wealth created a demonstration effect that prompted local governments across China to invest heavily in the solar industry.