Jeffrey Cheah

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Cheah (谢).
For the Hong Kong swimmer, see Geoffrey Cheah.

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr.

Jeffrey Cheah

PSM SPMP DPMS KBE AO
Cheah in 2018
Born1945 or 1946 (age 78)
Pusing, Kinta District, Perak
EducationFootscray Institute of Technology
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forFounder of the Sunway Group
TitleChairman of the Sunway Group
SpouseSusan Cheah Seok Cheng
Children3
Parent
  • Cheah Fah (father)
Cheah Fook Ling
Traditional Chinese謝富年
Simplified Chinese谢富年
HakkaQia3 Fu5 Ngien2
Chia Fook Yin

Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling (Chinese: 谢富年; Xiè Fùnián; born 1945 or 1946) is a Malaysian entrepreneur who is the founder and current chairman of the Sunway Group, a Malaysian conglomerate operating in 12 industries with core businesses in property and construction.[1] Cheah is also the founder of Sunway University and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.[2][3] Through his foundation, Cheah has donated almost US$39 million to fund scholarships and educational causes since 2018.[4]

Early life, education and early career[edit]

Jeffrey Cheah was born in Pusing, a small town in the Malaysian state of Perak. Cheah moved to Australia to pursue a business degree at Victoria University (then Footscray Institute of Technology) in Melbourne, and after graduating, returned to Malaysia to take a job as an accountant in a motor assembly plant. He soon left this employment, and in 1974, he started his own company, a small tin-mining company with a startup capital of RM100,000.[5] Today, Sunway Group is one of Malaysia's largest conglomerates.[6]

Cheah is the recipient of 12 honorary[7] doctorates, most of which in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards education.[8]

Sunway Group and Bandar Sunway[edit]

The Sunway Group grew from a gradual conglomeration of Jeffrey Cheah's business interests. At its heart is the 350-hectare (860-acre; 1.4 sq mi) development Bandar Sunway (Sunway City), a township in the Petaling district of the state of Selangor.

The development of Sunway City has won the township international awards, including recognition as Malaysia's first fully integrated green townshipby the Green Building Index (GBI) of Malaysia.[9] Sunway City (formerly known as Sunway Resort City) also received the Low Carbon City award from the Malaysian Institute of Planners for implementing low carbon initiatives within the township.[10]

Educational investment[edit]

In 1987, Jeffrey Cheah established Sunway College in Bandar Sunway as a private tertiary educational institute. Cheah partnered with Monash University in Melbourne, Australia in order to enable Malaysian students to pursue a preparatory year at Sunway College before being admitted to study at Monash. In 1997, the college proved financially viable, and Cheah transferred ownership to the Sunway Educational Trust Fund. In 1998, the Monash University Malaysia Campus was opened in Bandar Sunway, in partnership with the trust fund.[11] On 12 August 2004, the Minister for Education granted the institution the status of a university college.[12] In 2005 Monash University established the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences (JCSMHS). The school offers first and second degrees in several departments of medicine and psychology and is accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC).[13] In 2006, the Sultan of Selangor installed Jeffrey Cheah as Foundation Chancellor of the university college.[14]

In 2001, the Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF), the Selangor State Government and the Sunway Group, launched a joint initiative called the Safe City Initiative in order to reduce crime in the area. The initiative was deemed a success.[15] In recognition of Tan Sri Jeffrey's contribution in the field of social safety and security, he was appointed the Chairman of MCPF Selangor Chapter by the Minister of Unity, Culture, Arts & Heritage in Aug 2008.[citation needed]

Awards, honors and privileged positions[edit]

Royal orders and conferments[edit]

On 8 March 1988, the Sultan of Selangor made Jeffrey Cheah a Knight Commander of the Crown of Selangor (Malay: Dato' Paduka Mahkota Selangor, DPMS), which entitles its holder to the title Dato'.

In 1995, Jeffrey Cheah was made a Justice of the Peace (JP) by the Sultan of Terengganu. The appointment is purely honorary.

In April 1996, the Sultan of Perak, Jeffrey Cheah's home state, made him a Knight Grand Commander of the Crown of Perak (Malay: Dato' Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak, SPMP), which entitles its holder to the title Dato' Seri.

On 1 June 1996, Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the 'King of Malaysia') awarded Cheah Commander of the Order of Loyalty of the Crown of Malaysia (Malay: Panglima Setia Mahkota Malaysia, PSM), which entitles its holder to the title Tan Sri.[16]

On 10 July 2008, Jeffrey Cheah was made an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "service to Australia–Malaysia bilateral relations, particularly tertiary education through the development of collaborative student transfer programs and the establishment of a Monash University campus in Malaysia".[17]

In 2023 he was awarded an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) from the British Government for services to higher education, the National Health Service, and philanthropy.[18]

Honorary doctorates[edit]

Jeffrey Cheah has been awarded the following ten honorary doctorates, by universities in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and Malaysia.

Year University Award
1993 Victoria University, Australia Doctor of the University
1994 Flinders University, South Australia Doctor of the University
1994 University of Western Australia Doctor of Education
1994 Western Michigan University, United States Doctor of Education
1995 Monash University, Victoria, Australia Doctor of Laws
1996 Leicester University, United Kingdom Doctor of Laws
1998 Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom Doctor of Education
2001 Greenwich University, United Kingdom Doctor of Business Administration
2013 Lancaster University, United Kingdom Doctor of Laws
2016 University of Malaya, Malaysia Doctor of Education

Government advisor positions[edit]

  1. Director, National Productivity Centre, appointed by the Minister of Trade (1990).
  2. Chairman, Malaysian Industry-Government High Technology for Construction and Housing (MIGHT), appointed by the Prime Minister (1995).
  3. Executive Council Member, Malaysian Tourism Action Council, appointed by the Minister of Tourism (1996).
  4. Council Member, Higher Education Council of Malaysia, appointed by the Minister of Education (1996).
  5. Council Member, Financial Reporting Foundation, appointed by the Minister of Finance (1997).

Business honours[edit]

  1. 'Property Man of the Year (FIABCI, Malaysian Chapter)' (1993).
  2. 'CEO of the Year (Malaysia)' (1996).
  3. 'Asia's Most Innovative Chinese Entrepreneur Award' (2005).[19]
  4. Chairman & co-founder of Asian Strategy And Leadership Institute (ASLI).
  5. Paul Harris Fellow Award.
  6. Fellow Australian Society of Certificate Practising Accountants.
  7. Fellow of Institute of Directors.
  8. Lifetime Achievement Luminary Award (2016)[20]

Social and welfare organisations[edit]

  1. President, Malaysian Hakka Association (1997).
  2. Founding Trustee, Malaysian Liver Foundation (1999).[21]
  3. Honorary chairman, Sin Chew Foundation (2000).
  4. Vice-President, National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (2002).
  5. Honorary Member, Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce (2002).
  6. Fellow Benefactor, University of Cambridge (2015).[22]

Places named after Jeffrey Cheah[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Sunway Group: Chairman's Profile".
  2. ^ "Make Jeffrey Cheah Foundation tax-free". Free Malaysia Today. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Sunway University: The People: The Chancellery". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  4. ^ Chung, Grace. "Asia's 2019 Heroes Of Philanthropy: Catalysts For Change". Forbes. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. ^ "From Wasteland To Wonderland". www1.channelnewsasia.com. 21 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Enriching lives, building the future - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Sunway Group: Chairman's Profile". Sunway Group.
  8. ^ "Founder and Chancellor Jeffrey Cheah Receives Honorary Doctorate". StudyMalaysia.com. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Driving real estate development in Malaysia". Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Developer wins low-carbon city award for Sunway City - SMEBiz News | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Monash toehold in Malaysia market". Times Higher Education (THE). 6 March 1998. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Education in Malaysia. Sunway University". www.globalstudygroup.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences". Malaysia - Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  14. ^ Services, WebWay E. "Sunway University's Founder and Chancellor Jeffrey Cheah Receives Honorary Doctorate From Lancaster University". StudyMalaysia.com. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Bandar Sunway a safe city success story - Community | The Star Online". Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
  17. ^ "Australian Government: It's an Honour". Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Honorary awards to foreign nationals in 2023". Gov.UK. 2023.
  19. ^ "Board of Directors of Sunway Reit". www.sunwayreit.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Sunway Group and Grab founders honoured at Channel NewsAsia Luminary Awards". Channel NewsAsia. 31 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  21. ^ "Foundation Board of Trustees". www.loveyourliver.org.my. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  22. ^ "Sunway Ties Up With Cambridge". The Star. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Security Check Required". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (Project Capella)". University of Cambridge Estate Management.
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