Syed Mokhtar Albukhary

Last updated

Syed Mokhtar Albukhary
Born
Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Albukhary

(1951-12-12) 12 December 1951 (age 73)
Alor Setar, Kedah, Federation of Malaya (present-day Malaysia)
OccupationBusinessman
SpousePuan Sri Sharifah Zarah Albukhary

Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Albukhary (born 12 December 1951) [1] is a Malaysian business tycoon and philanthropist. Recognised as the 11th richest individual in Malaysia by Forbes in 2025, Syed Mokthar is estimated to have a net worth of US$2.2 billion. [2]

Contents

Through holdings such as the MMC Corporation and DRB-HICOM, Syed Mokthar is reported to be the leading figure in Malaysia's rice, sugar, ports, postal, and power generation sectors, and owns the national car company Proton. He is also a key figure in the engineering, construction, and property business. Syed Mokthar is also the largest shareholder in Media Prima, Malaysia's largest media conglomerate, and owns Media Mulia Sdn Bhd, which publishes Utusan Malaysia, the oldest Malay-language daily newspaper in Malaysia. [3]

Syed Mokthar is also the founder of the Albukhary Foundation, an international non-profit charity organization that focuses on social development.

Early life

Syed Mokhtar Albukhary was born on 12 December 1951, the third child of Syed Nor and Sharifah Nor in Kampung Hutan Keriang, Alor Setar, Kedah. His family traces its roots to Hadramawt region of Yemen. [4]

In 1961, Syed Mokhtar moved to Johor Bahru where he spent the next 6 years before returning to Alor Setar where he attended St. Michael's Secondary School. While still schooling, he got involved in his father's cattle business. [4]

Not long after, an outbreak of Foot-and-mouth disease collapsed the company. This led to Syed Mokhtar abandoning his studies a few months prior to completing his Secondary 5, as his family could not afford to pay for his examination fees. [4] With money saved from his involvement in his father's cattle business, Syed Mokhtar began venturing into business on his own. [4] [ page needed ]

Career

In the 1970s, Syed Mokthar ventured into rice transportation and secured a rice trading license for his company, Shah Enterprise Sdn Bhd, which allowed him to secure contracts to supply rice to entities such as the Federal Land Development Authority, Majlis Amanah Rakyat, Pernas Edar, and Sergam Bhd, all of which were government-linked agencies. [5] His involvement in rice trading allowed him to make connections with individuals who went on to take up influential political positions, including former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Perlis chief minister Shahidan Kassim. [6]

His business interests eventually expanded to include manufacturing, shipping, property development and agriculture. By the 1990s, he began buying into publicly listed companies and acquiring state-owned enterprises as part of Mahathir Mohamad's privatiastion initiatives. The two became close during this period. [5] [6]

In 2001, he acquired a 19.9% stake in MMC Corporation, and took over Pernas International Holdings Berhad, a government-linked company, which was then renamed Tradewinds Corporation. Through the latter company, Syed Mokhtar owns Tradewinds Plantations, which operates operates 74 rubber estates and 10 palm oil mills, making it one of the largest rubber and palm oil firms in Malaysia, [7] as well as Tradewinds (M) Berhad, which owns Padiberas Nasional Bhd, which has a monopoly on the Malaysian rice industry. [5] Syed Mokthar is rumoured to have had a substantial stake in Padiberas Nasional Bhd since 2005; his penchant for using proxies to hold stakes in companies makes it hard to discern when he bought into the company. [8]

Syed Mokthar's financials suffered during the mid-to-late 2000s, coinciding with Abdullah Ahmad Badawi premiership. The latter had terminated a RM14.5 billion double-track rail installation project by MMC Corporation and shelved a proposal by Syed Mokthar to build a US$2 billion aluminium smelter in Sarawak. His group of companies had also accrued a large debt, estimated to be RM30 billion, much of it linked to the power production company Malakoff Bhd, a subsidiary of MMC Corporation.

MMC Corporation was eventually awarded a contract to lay the northern portion of the double-tracked rail system for RM12.5 billion together with Gamuda. [9]

During the rule of Najib Razak, Syed Mokhtar's DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies was awarded a US$2.5 billion contract to supply DefTech AV8 armoured personnel carriers. The deal attracted some scrutiny, as comparable options were substantially cheaper. [10] Syed Mokhtar was reported to be well-liked by Najib. [9]

By 2014, Syed Mokhtar's DRB-HICOM was the sole owner of the Malaysian national carmaker Proton, and held substantial interests in other non-national car brands, including stakes, distribution rights, and manufacturing arrangements with Honda, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Suzuki, and Isuzu. DRB-HICOM also continues to hold a controlling stake in Puspakom, which previously held a monopoly on commercial vehicle inspections. [11]

In 2019, Syed Mokhtar became the largest shareholder of Media Prima, the biggest media and entertainment conglomerate in Malaysia, through Aurora Mulia Sdn Bhd, with a 31.22% stake. [12] He also controls Media Mulia Sdn Bhd, which publishes Utusan Malaysia, the country's oldest Malay-language daily. [13]

In May 2020, Malaysia's Ministry of Communications and Multimedia awarded the highly lucrative 5G telecommunications spectrum contract to a company called ALTEL, a subsidiary of Puncak Semangat, a firm primarily controlled by Syed Mokhtar.

He is the minority shareholder of Lotus Cars, with a 49% stake through Etika Automotive, a subsidiary of Etika Strategy, which also holds a smaller 30% stake of Lotus Technology, Lotus' electric vehicle division. [14]

In 2023, Muhyiddin Yassin was charged with abuse of power and money laundering, having allegedly received RM232.5 million from corporate entities. These included Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, of which 99% is owned by Syed Mokthar. [15]

Philanthropy

Syed Mokhtar began his philanthropic work in 1976 when he pledged half of his salary to 15 underprivileged families and the other half to his mother and siblings.

In 1996, he founded the Albukhary Foundation, an international non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Malaysia which was founded on the Islamic values of faith (Taqwa) and compassion (Ehsan). The foundation does not discriminate on the grounds of race, nationality, ethnic origin and religion. [16] He remains its primary benefactor. [4]

In 1998, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia was founded and is located within Kuala Lumpur's Lake Gardens. It houses more than ten thousand artefacts from across the Muslim world, as well as a library of Islamic art books. The museum has a total of 12 galleries. [17]

The museum has won a number of domestic and international awards and is one of the most visited museums in Malaysia. [18] [19] In 2015, the British Museum announced [20] the opening of a new gallery to redisplay all the collections of the Islamic world. The gallery would be known as The Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World. [21]

In 2005, the Albukhary Scholarship Program was founded to support economically disadvantaged students internationally. The scholarships are offered to students of the Prince's School of Traditional Arts, Oxford University, IBN Haldun University, University of York, Philanthropy University and 17 universities in Malaysia, including Albukhary International University. The program offers five types of scholarships, the Albukhary Equity Scholarship, Regional Awards, Leadership, Academic & Service Excellence Awards, Campus Residence Grant, and the Refugee Education Dream (RED) Scholarship which is available to all refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR Malaysia. [22]

In 2010, the Albukhary International University was founded and located within the Sharifah Rokiah Centre of Excellence. The university is housed within a purpose built campus and is spread over 30 hectares (74 acres) in Alor Setar. [16]

As of 2013 his donations have exceeded $500 million. In 2014 he was recognized by Forbes Asia as a Hero of Philanthropy due to his contribution to refugees in Pakistan, orphans in Guinea and disaster victims in China, Indonesia and Iran. [23]

Honours

References

  1. Wong, Chun Wai (16 December 2018). "A touch of class - On The Beat". The Star (Malaysia) . Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  2. "Malaysia's 50 Richest - 2025". Forbes. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  3. "Malaysian tycoon Syed Mokhtar expands media empire with stake in Media Prima". The Straits Times. 3 July 2019. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Premilla, Mohanlall (2012). Syed Mokhtar Albukhary : a biography. Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: PrinAd Sdn Bhd. ISBN   9789674158064. OCLC   825941389.
  5. 1 2 3 Mohanakrishnan, Arjun (22 January 2024). "From paddy fields to corporate dominance, how big is Syed Mokhtar's rice bowl?". Scoop. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Syed Mokhtar: Malays and Chinese abused NEP". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  7. "Plantation conglomerates accelerating agriculture sector's growth nationwide". themalaysianreserve.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  8. "Bernas — a moneymaking monopoly that paid RM670 mil in dividends in 2020". The Edge Malaysia. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Cover Story: Syed Mokhtar back in the limelight". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  10. "Malaysia orders 257 APCs from DefTech - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  11. "Highlight: DRB to be biggest beneficiary of new NAP". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  12. "Media Prima clarifies Aurora Mulia still its largest shareholder | New Straits Times". NST Online. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  13. "Malaysia's oldest Malay language newspaper Utusan is back after nine-month shutdown". The Straits Times. 20 July 2020. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  14. "Lotus to float its new EV division on the stock market – Malaysia's Etika Automotive set to gain from move". paultang.org. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  15. "Ex-PM Muhyiddin charged for receiving RM232.5m in bribes and money laundering". The Edge Malaysia. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Home – Albukhary International University". Albukhary International University. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  17. "IAMM | Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia". www.iamm.org.my. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  18. "Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur Attractions". kuala-lumpur.ws. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  19. "Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur): Top Tips Before You Go (with Photos) - TripAdvisor". www.tripadvisor.com.my. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  20. "Gallery of the Islamic World". British Museum. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  21. "Albukhary Foundation initiates new gallery on Islamic world at British Museum - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  22. Services, WebWay E. "Scholarships in Malaysia - StudyMalaysia.com". StudyMalaysia.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  23. Koppisch, John. "48 Heroes of Philanthropy". Forbes. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia).
  25. "Malacca Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob's birthday honours list". The Star (Malaysia) . 18 October 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2019.