Cover Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew making his speech after accepting the award

Tatler Malaysia hosted an intimate dinner for Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew and his family to present him with this year's Diamond Award for a lifelong of philanthropy

In recognition of his lifelong humanitarian relief efforts, in particular in 2020, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew is the recipient of the Diamond Award 2020. The award recognises a person who has had a lifetime of achievement and contribution to society. 

The original plan was to honour the man in grand fashion at the Tatler Ball but in these are uncertain times, we had to make do with a private dinner for him and his family. The entire clan, including his three daughters and two sons, attended the occasion at Yun House in Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Lee and his wife, Puan Sri Tan Bee Hong, were the first to arrive. Despite his stature in the business community, his affable nature immediately put everyone at ease as he happily shared his life stories. 

See also: Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew's 64th Garden Birthday Party

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Photo 1 of 9 Puan Sri Tan Bee Hong and Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew
Photo 2 of 9 Datin Dian Lee
Photo 3 of 9 Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew and Geraldine Beh
Photo 4 of 9 Dianna Lee and Robin Ang
Photo 5 of 9 Datuk Jared Lim
Photo 6 of 9 Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew flipping through Tatler Malaysia magazine
Photo 7 of 9 The patriarch with Shana Azahari, Datin Dian Lee, Dianna Lee, Puan Sri Tan Bee Hong and Diani Lee
Photo 8 of 9 The patriarch with Matahari Lee, Robin Ang, Datuk Jared Lim, Law Wai Cheong and Bintang Lee
Photo 9 of 9 Shana Azahari, Dianna Lee, Diani Lee, Datin Dian Lee, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, Puan Sri Tan Bee Hong, Datuk Jared Lim, Law Wai Cheong, Robin Ang, Matahari Lee and Bintang Lee

Before dinner began, we surprised him with a tribute video that featured Ricky Yip, CEO of Golden Horses Health Sanctuary, and his youngest child, Bintang Lee. Then eldest daughter Datin Dian Lee stood up to say a few words. “My dad is the kind of man who would put others above himself and is very much about doing the right thing. So when Covid happened, we are so proud when he sprung into action. Actually we all didn’t know—we found out through social media that he was using planes to bring in PPEs and masks, and here his own children were scrambling to find masks on Lazada!”

She continued: “There’s a saying in Chinese, which says you must always remember where you come from, and I think it’s quite incredible for my dad to not just have richness of wealth, but also richness in kindness and generosity, and this will to always help one another. So with that, I just want to thank Tatler Malaysia for recognising my dad and awarding him this Diamond Award."

Visibly moved by her speech, Lee could be seen wearing a big smile on his face throughout the evening. The 66-year-old, surrounded by his loving family, then shared the secret to his success: "Optimism and confidence—these are the qualities that make me what I am today."

See also: Couple Spotlight: Datuk Jared Lim & Datin Dian Lee Keep The Sparks Flying

Credits

Photography  

Khairul Imran

Videography  

Goh Kwee Jin

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