Jeffrey Chew is the former CEO of OCBC Malaysia and the founder and current chairman of Fundaztic, a P2P financing platform that spans across Malaysia and Singapore. With 23 years of experience in banking and finance, it’s no surprise that he finds it hard to take off the very same “banking and finance” hat. Yet, this hat has served him quite well during his nine-and-a-half years at the helm of property developer Paramount Corporation as the group’s CEO.

He manages the Bursa Malaysia-listed company with the shrewdness and instincts of a finance man, as well as the opportunity-driven mindset of an entrepreneur. Since taking the reins at Paramount in 2014, the company’s profits before tax increased from RM75 million in 2013 to RM182 million in 2017. Ambitious yet pragmatic, Chew has elevated Paramount’s stature from a developer of small but successful townships into a developer of high-rises in premium locations around Cyberjaya, Petaling Jaya, and downtown Kuala Lumpur. Under his leadership, Paramount ventured into Bangkok with a Thai developer in 2020, a city that he believes has significant untapped potential.