7 Malaysian Philanthropist That Are Changing The World

Tatler editors from around Asia shine a light on the philanthropists in their region who are donating huge sums of money, establishing vital charities or devising whole new ways of giving back—and sometimes all three

Leong Hoy Kum

leong Hou Kum.jpg WHY Him? Having successfully expanded his family’s business, Mah Sing Group, Leong also expanded its CSR commitments in 2005 by establishing the Mah Sing Foundation, which supports children around the country through a range of educational and healthcare initiatives. In 2017 the Mah Sing Foundation ran more than 25 different programmes—ranging from English classes for adults to classes for refugee children— benefiting more than 3,200 people.

Suliana Shamsuddin

suliana shamsuddin.jpg WHY Her? For more than 15 years Shamsuddin has been chair of Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya Kelantan (Yokuk), a support centre in the rural state of Kelantan for people with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, blindness, deafness and other conditions. Since it was founded Yokuk has supported or treated more than 4,500 children.

Ananda Krishnan

Ananda Krishnan.jpg WHY him? This media-shy tycoon has donated tens of millions of US dollars to education, the arts, sports and humanitarian causes in Malaysia through his privately owned holding company Usaha Tegas. THAT’S NOT ALL Having received a scholarship himself as a young man, which allowed him to study at the University of Melbourne, Krishnan also funds a variety of Scholarships and educational grants.

Francis Yeoh

download (2) - Copy.jpg WHY Him? Yeoh is famous around the world for both his business acumen, as leader of his family’s YTL Corporation, and his philanthropy. A lover of the arts, he reportedly gave Rome’s struggling opera house €1 million in 2015. He also received the Capri Legend Humanitarian Award in 2016. After the passing of his father, Yeoh Tiong Lay, in December 2017, YTL gave donations in his memory worth MYR10m (about US$2.4m) to a series of charities.

Vincent Tan

Vincent Tan.jpg WHY him? When he’s not busy leading his Berjaya Group—which has holdings in F&B, hospitality and financial services—Tan is known for giving back through the Berjaya Cares Foundation and his own Better Malaysia Foundation, which between them fund everything from Aids medication to English lessons in rural communities. THAT’S NOT ALL Last year he announced that when he turns 80 he intends to become a full-time fundraiser for humanitarian NGO the Tzu Chi Foundation. He has also signed the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge, which commits him to giving away at least half of his US$800 million fortune to charity.

Yaacob Khyra

Yaacob Khyra.jpg WHY him? Khyra has a lot on his plate, running the Mycron Steel corporation while also acting as chairman of the board of trustees of both The Budimas Charitable Foundation and MAA Medicare Charitable Foundation. Budimas supports more than 30 orphanages around Malaysia, caring for more than 1,500 children, and also funds breakfast for thousands of underprivileged children in government schools. MAA is focused on healthcare, providing high-quality medical services to underprivileged communities. THE NEXT GENERATION He has passed on his passion for helping children to his daughter, Elana Khyra, who runs her own kindergarten.

Jeffrey Cheah

Jeffrey Cheah.jpg WHY him? One of Malaysia’s most generous philanthropists, Cheah is the founder of the country’s largest education-focused non-profit, the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. Through the foundation Cheah has donated more than MYR1 billion (about US$240m) to educational initiatives, including scholarships and endowments. Among these are a series of funds at Harvard University that will ensure connections between one of the world’s top universities and Malaysian institutions.