Vinod Sekhar

Last updated

Yang Berbahagia Dato'
Vinod Sekhar
Born6 August 1968
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
SpouseDatin Dr. Winy Sekhar

Vinod Sekhar (born 6 August 1968) is a Malaysian businessman who is the chairman and chief executive of the PETRA Group, [1] whose businesses include restaurants, recycling rubber, media and entertainment, agriculture and modular building materials. [2]

Contents

Sekhar is a proponent of social capitalism, a philosophy that combines business with the improvement of social capital. [3] [4] He has faced various legal controversies, including lawsuits from various entities. [5]

He was named by Forbes magazine as Malaysia's 28th richest man in 2009. [6]

Education

He attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College [7] [8]

Businesses

In 1990, Sekhar formed Sekhar Tunku Imran (STI) Group together with his friend, Tunku Tan Sri Imran and entered various business ventures. One of the most notable business deals that STI had was a joint venture with Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, USA to produce the movie entitled 'Tarzan, The Epic Adventure'. [9] Tunku Tan Sri Imran was declared bankrupt in 2005. [10]

The Petra Group is a privately held company known for Green Rubber Global, the company's key business which it claims has a cost-effective process that can efficiently recycle used rubber. [11]

In September 2020, Sekhar launched The Vibes, an online news publication covering Malaysian news. [12] [13]

Philanthropy

Sekhar is the founder of the Vinod Sekhar Foundation, which was founded to undertake various initiatives to alleviate poverty, provide healthcare and education, and support the most vulnerable communities including the indigenous, disabled, old folks, children, refugees, and poor. [14]

Personal life

Sekhar is the youngest son of Sukumari Nair and B.C. Sekhar, also known as Mr. Natural Rubber, who, for a time, provided significant inputs in the global natural rubber industry. He has three siblings. He is married to Winy Sekhar with whom he has two daughters, Petra and Tara. [15] [16]

Sekhar said in a 2021 interview that he was a "close friend" of the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. [17]

Controversies

Sekhar has various legal controversies, including lawsuits from investors and former employees due to financial disputes. [18] [19] He has been associated with donation promises that did not materialize. [20]

References

  1. ↑ "About | Social Capitalism Company Malaysia". PETRA Group. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  2. ↑ Staff Reporter (9 July 2020). "Green Rubber Global - the next generation business by Vinod Sekhar". Olive Press News Spain. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Datu, Sadja Matthew Pajares Yngson (16 July 2020). "Top Malaysian executive sets his sights on Europe". The Parliament Magazine. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Sharma, Anushree (14 February 2022). "Datuk (Dr.) Vinod Sekhar on leading toward business recovery". ETHRWorld.com. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Businessman's Bangsar offices raided in major money laundering, tax evasion probe". MalaysiaNow. 29 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Malaysia's 40 Richest". Forbes. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Malaysian work experience offer for six pupils". Haileybury and Imperial Service College. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  8. ↑ "Malaysia in the Asian Century: The Challenges we all face", in: Frank-Jürgen Richter and Thang D. Nguyen: The Malaysian Journey, Marshall Cavendish 2004.
  9. ↑ Roop, Sharma. "Vinod Sekhar : Malaysia's most prominent businessmen, philanthropists". NRI Internet. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  10. ↑ "Court declares Tunku Imran bankrupt". thestar.com.my. 15 September 2005.
  11. ↑ Har (13 September 2019). "Petra Group boss not home, bailiff fails to execute arrest warrant". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "Vinod Sekhar launches The Vibes, a new site covering Malaysian news". BEAMSTART - Uplifting Lives Through Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  13. ↑ "Vibes news portal launched". dailyexpress.com.my. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  14. ↑ "SMEs, traders to benefit under foundation program". Borneo Post Online. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  15. ↑ "Malaysian Rubber Industry Pioneer B.C. Sekhar Dies". One India News. Retrieved 7 September 2006.
  16. ↑ "47m Admiral motor yacht PetraTara sold". boatinternational.com.
  17. ↑ "The return of Vinod Sekhar (Part 2): Friends with everyone - Focus Malaysia". focusmalaysia.my. 18 June 2021. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024.
  18. ↑ Khairulrijal, Rahmat (5 February 2024). "[Updated] Vinod Sekhar sued by investors, ex-employees for fraud | New Straits Times". NST Online.
  19. ↑ "Investors, former employees suing Vinod Sekhar RM30m for alleged fraud; potential witnesses include PM Anwar". focusmalaysia.my. 5 February 2024.
  20. ↑ MacDonald, James Ashton and Stuart (4 October 2009). "University of St Andrews' £8m donor fails to deliver". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.