Wu Tiejun

Wu Tiejun is the famously discreet owner and chief executive of the luxury mall Deji Plaza, in Nanjing, China. Under his leadership, the mall achieved a record-breaking 24.5 billion yuan ($3.35 billion) in sales in 2024, surpassing SKP Beijing to become the top-selling luxury mall in China, despite headwinds that have caused many luxury players to stall in the key fashion market. In 2024 alone, Deji Plaza opened 54 new boutiques, including Burberry's first global beauty concept store, Prada's first Asian fragrance store and La Beauté Louis Vuitton’s China debut.

The mall has tapped into lucrative pockets of wealth in Nanjing, the previously underserved capital of Jiangsu province, where it has come to dominate the luxury retail scene. By 2025, it hosted the likes of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Cartier, Dior, Hermès, Chanel and Tiffany & Co. as tenants, and is known for its opulent architecture. Even videos of its glamorous bathrooms, designed to echo fantastical garden sanctuaries and cyberpunk cities, have gone viral. An avid art collector, Wu showcases works from his personal collection by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Andy Warhol, in the Deji Art Museum, located within the same mixed-use complex as his luxury mall. In 2006, he founded real estate company Deji Group.