Vinod Sekhar

Last updated

Yang Berbahagia Dato'
Vinod Sekhar
Born
Vinod Balachandra Sekhar

6 August 1968
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
SpouseDatin Dr. Winy Sekhar

Vinod Sekhar (born, Vinod Balachandra Sekhar; 6 August 1968) is the Chairman and Chief Executive of the PETRA Group, [1] which is a global conglomerate involved in sustainable industries, with a stated goal of providing "solutions for humanity". PETRA Group's businesses include restaurants, recycling rubber, media and entertainment, agriculture and modular building materials. [2]

Contents

Sekhar is currently being sued by 12 investors and former employees, for alleged fraud, misrepresentation, breach of contract, and acknowledgement of debt. [3] Further, in 2021, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission opened a money laundering and tax evasion investigation into Mr Sekhar's affairs. [4]

As a self-proclaimed advocate for social capitalism, Sekhar says he believes that business interests and social concerns should go hand in hand, which acts as the basis of the PETRA Group. He loudly claims that enterprises should be run as profitable ventures while doing the right thing for employees, customers, society, and the environment, to ensure sustainable wealth creation and equitable income generation for all.

He is the founder of the Vinod Sekhar Foundation and claims it undertakes 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. [5]

However the Foundation has no website so the claims are impossible to verify. Mr Sekhar has a history of unfulfilled philanthropic commitments including a £2.5 million towards the British charity 'Hopes and Homes for Children' in 2008 and an £8 million pledge to Saint Andrews Medical School in 2010 neither of which materialised. He also pledged to donate 200,000 COVID vaccines in 2021 which never arrived. [6] [7] [8]

In fact, Mr Sekhar has a history of profiting from the sale of medical devices and allegedly purchased a $17.5 million yacht with proceeds from the sale of ventilators during the COVID pandemic. [9] [10]

He was named by Forbes magazine as Malaysia's 28th richest man in 2009. [11]

The title of Dato' was given to Sekhar at the age of 26 by Yang di Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Ja'afar on his 71st birthday, who was at that time the 10th Yang di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

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. [12] [13]

His wife, Winy Yeap Liew Heoh, is the great-granddaughter of the prominent banker Yeap Chor Ee, and is also cited as a co-defendant in the ongoing 2024 lawsuit for alleged fraud. [3]

Vinod has written numerous plays and even produced a book of poetry. "In the Mind's Eye", one of the plays that he has written and self-published, was a self-proclaimed success. The book has not been in print for a considerable period of time.

Mr Sekhar is noted to be a 'close friend' of the Malaysian Prime Minister [14]

He also enjoys playing golf with a 22 handicap. [15]

Education

He attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College [16] [17] He started a non-partisan multiracial youth organisation, Malaysian Muda. He remained president for two terms. [18]

Businesses

Sekhar was only 21 when he started his business career with just US$50 when he put up his own clothing company called Vincent Siefer Clothing Company that sold college embossed shirts to university students in different American universities. He later claimed he sold his clothing company for US$5 million. [19]

There is no online record of the transaction and the Vincent Siefer Clothing Company does not appear to have ever been registered in any country.

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'. [15]

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. In 2019, it was reported that an Irish national, John Slattery sued Sekhar to claim the US$108,000 which Slattery had paid in 2017 as an investment into Green Rubber Sdn Bhd. [20] In 2021, Petra Group claimed to have procured 400 million Sinovac vaccines from China for free distribution. Malaysian government dismissed the claim and found no evidence for its basis. [21] There is currently an ongoing lawsuit against Mr. Sekhar and Green Rubber Global alleging fraud. [22]

Sekhar also claims to be an active supporter of different socio-civic organizations. He founded the Sekhar Foundation which owns 80% of The Petra Group and acts as the philanthropic arm of the company by supporting various charitable organizations worldwide. The Sekhar Foundation has donated to a range of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) working in the fields of education, poverty alleviation, and healthcare provision. The Foundation does not have a website, and no details of which NGOs it has supported appear to exist.

Achievements, Awards and Honours

RecognitionRecognition Giving BodyYear
Corporate Leader of the YearSJ Grant Thornton2008 [23]
16th Richest Man in MalaysiaForbes magazine2008 [24]
Product/Industrial Design AwardGlobal Green USA2008 [25]
Community Leadership AwardGlobal Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)2010 [26]
Person of The YearAsiaOne Magazine2020

Sekhar has said that was also one of the first Malaysians to venture into the former Soviet Union after its breakup and was a part of the privatization of its second-largest petrochemical plant. He was also the first Southeast Asian to own both Formula 2000 and Formula 3 Championship motorsports teams, and he founded Malaysia's first sports car company.[ citation needed ] No evidence exists to substantiate these claims.

Sekhar has presented a variety of papers and participated in many international conferences including the International Human Rights Conference in Brussels, the first Malaysian International Youth Conference for Unity in Kuala Lumpur, the Asia Europe Young Leaders Conference in Ireland, the New Asian Leaders Retreat in Seoul, South Korea programmer for the World Economic Forum, the WEF's Davos Annual meeting, he was the chair of the first New Asian Leaders–Emerging Arab Leaders Summit in Langkawi, which was attended by King Abdullah II of Jordan, and he was a speaker at the 2005 Forbes Global CEO Conference in Sydney. [ citation needed ]

He is the Chairman of the Vinod Sekhar Foundation, the Chairman of the Pelita Harapan (however no note of Mr. Sekar appears on the Pelita Harapan website), [27] the co-chairman of the Innocent Child Appeal Fund Board for abused children, and the Chairman of the Sitavani Foundation[ citation needed ]. He was also the founding President of Malaysian Muda,[ citation needed ],the first nonpartisan multiracial national youth organization created to develop unity among Malaysian youth, where he warned of polarization among young Malaysians two decades before the government finally acknowledged it was out of control. [ citation needed ]

In 1991, he was made the first and youngest Asian fellow of Kappa Delta Pi, a US-based international Honors Society for Education for his contribution to the globalization of education. [ citation needed ] The organization awarded its "The Point of Excellence" award to his company, the first Asian company to be so honored. Sekhar was 26 years old and one of the youngest to be so honored. The World Economic Forum named him as one of its 40 "New Asian Leaders" (NAL). Grant Thornton named him the Malaysian Corporate Leader of the Year in August 2008. [ citation needed ]

In September 2020, Sekhar launched The Vibes, an online news publication covering Malaysian news. [28] The news publication was spearheaded by Terence Fernandez, former managing editor of Malay Mail, alongside many former journalists from major publications. However, they have subsequently left the portal. [29]

Literary and film works

Mr Sekhar says he has written several plays and a book of poetry. One of his plays, In the Mind’s Eye, was self-published in the US, UK and Malaysia. Sekhar also hosted Malaysia's first English-language talk show on television. [ citation needed ]

In 2013, Sekhar produced the Indian film Liar's Dice [30] which features the story of Kamala, a young woman from Chitkul village and her girl child Manya, who embarks on a journey leaving their native land in search for her missing husband. [31] He has also launched the production company Petra Films which produces the Golden Horse Award-nominated film The Sunny Side of the Street in its debut outing. [32]

Related Research Articles

Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan is a Malaysian-Tamil entrepreneur, the Chairman of Usaha Tegas Sdn. Bhd. and founder of Yu Cai Foundation (YCF). Nicknamed A.K., currently he is estimated to have a net worth of US$5.8 billion according to Forbes' latest annual list of wealthiest people, making him the third-wealthiest in Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wan Azizah Wan Ismail</span> Malaysian politician

Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail is a Malaysian politician who has served as Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia as the wife of Anwar Ibrahim, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bandar Tun Razak since November 2022 and 1st President of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition since July 2017. She served as the 12th Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the PH administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from May 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020, 1st President of the People's Justice Party (PKR) from April 1999 to November 2018, the 11th and 13th Leader of the Opposition from March 2008 to August 2008 and again from May 2015 to May 2018, MP for Pandan from May 2018 to November 2022, for Permatang Pauh from November 1999 to March 2008 and again from May 2015 to May 2018 as well as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kajang from April 2014 to May 2018. She was the first female Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition as well as the highest ever female political officeholder in the history of Malaysia. She joined politics and held a number of political offices on behalf of her husband Anwar to retain his political influence during his absence from politics due to a series of his sodomy trials and prison sentences that had prevented him from holding the offices. She most notably served as the 1st President of PKR from the party formation to officially handing over the party leadership to Anwar after his release from prison while Anwar served as the "de facto" leader during the period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Riady</span> Indonesian businessman

James Tjahaja Riady is an Indonesian businessman and the deputy chairman of the Lippo Group, a major Indonesian conglomerate. One of the most prominent Chinese Indonesian businessmen, he is the son of Mochtar Riady, who founded Lippo Group. Lippo ceded its control of Lippo Bank to Khazanah of Malaysia in 2005. Since his conversion to evangelical Christianity, James is now focusing on the study of theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lippo Group</span> Indonesian conglomerate company

Lippo Group is an Indonesian multinational conglomerate company. The company operates internationally providing property development and management services. It was founded by Mochtar Riady. Lippo has a collective presence across Asia and North America. Lippo Group is one of the largest real estate developers in Indonesia, and is known for various large-scale projects such as Lippo Village.

Lippo Karawaci or Lippo Village is a multiracial community in Tangerang, 23 km west of Jakarta, Indonesia. The township is within the Jakarta metropolitan area. Previously a swamp area, it opened in 1993 and is today a benchmark for Indonesia's other urban developments. This integrated development supports the "one-stop" living concept and combines residential condominiums, office space, education and healthcare facilities as well as commercial and entertainment areas in a strategic location and a green environment. Lippo Village has 120 km of internal roads and 250 km of drainage system networks. Population of the township is about 70,000 with over 200,000 visitors daily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khairy Jamaluddin</span> Malaysian politician

Khairy Jamaluddin often referred to by his initials KJ, is a Malaysian politician, radio presenter and podcaster. Alongside being a radio presenter for Hot FM, he hosts Keluar Sekejap with Shahril Hamdan, a podcast in which they discuss Malaysian politics and current affairs with a variety of guests. Khairy is also one of the Members of the Board and Youth Advisor at JDT, as well as a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. He most recently served as Minister of Health in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from August 2021 to November 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamil Malaysians</span> Ethnic group in Malaysia

Tamil Malaysians, also known as Malaysian Tamilar, are people of full or partial Tamil descent who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia from Tamil Nadu, India and the Tamil regions of north-east Sri Lanka. The majority of 1.8–2 million people 80% of the Malaysian Indian populations in Malaysia were from Indian Tamil ethnic groups from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The bulk of Tamil Malaysian migration began during the British Raj, when Britain facilitated the migration of Indian workers to work in plantations. There are, however, some established Tamil communities from before British colonialism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anwar Ibrahim</span> Prime Minister of Malaysia since 2022

Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who is the 10th and current Prime Minister of Malaysia since 2022. He served as the 12th and 16th Leader of the Opposition from 2008 to 2015, and again from 2020 to 2022. He has been the chairman of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition since 2020, the second President of the People's Justice Party (PKR) since 2018 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tambun since November 2022. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and in many other Cabinet positions in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from 1982 to his removal in 1998.

Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman of Zydus Lifesciences, the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismail Sabri Yaakob</span> Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2021 to 2022

Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob is a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2021 to 2022. He is both the shortest-serving prime minister, and shortest-serving deputy prime minister. He is also the first prime minister born after the independence of Malaya, the first former Leader of the Opposition to become prime minister, and the only prime minister to serve without a deputy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dzulkefly Ahmad</span> Malaysian politician

Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly bin Ahmad is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Minister of Health for the second term in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since December 2023 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kuala Selangor from March 2008 to May 2013 and again since May 2018. He served his first term as the Minister of Health in the PH administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from May 2018 to his resignation and the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020. He is a member and Strategic Director the National Trust Party (AMANAH), a component party of PH coalition and was a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a former component party of the former Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Alternatif (BA) opposition coalitions. He has also served as the Vice President of AMANAH since December 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAVI</span> Global health organization

GAVI, officially Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunization in poor countries. In 2016, Gavi channeled more than half of total donor assistance for health, and most donor assistance for immunization, by monetary measure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order</span> Iranian parastatal organization

The Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (EIKO), also known as the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Directive or simply Setad, is a parastatal organization in the Islamic Republic of Iran, under direct control of the Supreme Leader of Iran. It was created from thousands of properties confiscated in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A Reuters investigation found that the organization built "its empire on the systematic seizure of thousands of properties belonging to ordinary Iranians", also seizing property from members of religious minorities, business people and Iranians living abroad; at times falsely claiming that the properties were abandoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penang Undersea Tunnel</span>

The Penang Undersea Tunnel is a tunnel under planning between Butterworth on the mainland and George Town on the island of Penang in northern Malaysia. The 7.2 km tunnel will connect Butterworth, Seberang Perai in the east to George Town, Penang Island in the west. When completed in 2025, it will become the first undersea tunnel in Malaysia and the second in Southeast Asia after the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) in Singapore. The undersea tunnel is part of the Penang Roads and Tunnels project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Malaysia</span> Institutional corruption in the country

According to a 2013 public survey in Malaysia by Transparency International, a majority of the surveyed households perceived Malaysian political parties to be highly corrupt. A quarter of the surveyed households consider the government's efforts in the fight against corruption to be ineffective. Corruption in Malaysia generally involves political connections still playing an important role in the outcome of public tenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelita Harapan University</span> Private university in Indonesia

Pelita Harapan University is a private Reformed Evangelical coeducational higher education institution run by the Pelita Harapan Education Foundation in Lippo Village, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia. It was founded in 1993 and is part of the Lippo Group.

Sekhar may refer to:

Planning and preparing for pandemics has happened in countries and international organizations. The World Health Organization writes recommendations and guidelines, though there is no sustained mechanism to review countries' preparedness for epidemics and their rapid response abilities. National action depends on national governments. In 2005–2006, before the 2009 swine flu pandemic and during the decade following it, the governments in the United States, France, UK, and others managed strategic health equipment stocks, but they often reduced stocks after the 2009 pandemic in order to reduce costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic</span>

Due to its severity, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused countries to send aid, as part of the international responses and management regarding the pandemic. Types of materials aided includes masks, medical supplies, personal protective equipment, money, and test kits. It started with aid to China as the virus spreads primarily there, and then internationally as it spreads globally. The destination of the aid ranges from hospitals, COVID-19 healthcare workers, research on the vaccine, to societies vulnerable. People donating includes the government of said country, notable people, organizations and institutions, charities, as well as regular people.

<i>The Sunny Side of the Street</i> (film) 2022 film

The Sunny Side of the Street is a 2022 Hong Kong drama film written and directed by Lau Kok Rui. The feature debut of Malaysia-born Lau Kok-rui, the film tells the story of a Hong Kong-born Pakistani refugee boy who forms an unexpected bond with a local taxi driver.

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. 1 2 Khairulrijal, Rahmat (5 February 2024). "[Updated] Vinod Sekhar sued by investors, ex-employees for fraud | New Straits Times". NST Online.
  4. ↑ "Businessman's Bangsar offices raided in major money laundering, tax evasion probe". MalaysiaNow. 29 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "SMEs, traders to benefit under foundation program". Borneo Post Online. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Medical school in £8m pledge wait". BBC News. 17 February 2010.
  7. ↑ MacDonald, James Ashton and Stuart (12 March 2024). "University of St Andrews' £8m donor fails to deliver". The Times. London.
  8. ↑ "Man behind free vaccines offer has history of unfulfilled pledges". MalaysiaNow. 20 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "Revealed: Warning by medical experts over ventilators sold to Hungary by Malaysian businessman". MalaysiaNow. 4 February 2022.
  10. ↑ "Hungarian COVID-19 ventilator procurement mired in corruption". intellinews.com. 30 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Malaysia's 40 Richest". Forbes. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "Malaysian Rubber Industry Pioneer B.C. Sekhar Dies". One India News. Retrieved 7 September 2006.
  13. ↑ "47m Admiral motor yacht PetraTara sold". boatinternational.com.
  14. ↑ "The return of Vinod Sekhar (Part 2): Friends with everyone - Focus Malaysia". focusmalaysia.my. 18 June 2021.
  15. 1 2 Roop, Sharma. "Vinod Sekhar : Malaysia's most prominent businessmen, philanthropists". NRI Internet. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  16. ↑ "Malaysian work experience offer for six pupils". Haileybury and Imperial Service College. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  17. ↑ "Malaysia in the Asian Century: The Challenges we all face", in: Frank-Jürgen Richter and Thang D. Nguyen: The Malaysian Journey, Marshall Cavendish 2004.
  18. ↑ "Vinod Sekhar". Green Leaders Summit.
  19. ↑ "VinodSekhar.com". VinodSekhar.com. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Har (13 September 2019). "Petra Group boss not home, bailiff fails to execute arrest warrant". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  21. ↑ Adam, Ashman (19 May 2021). "After Khairy reveals 'bogus' Covid-19 vaccine contribution, Petra Group says unaffiliated with other donors | Malay Mail". malaymail.com. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  22. ↑ Abdullah, Mohd Kamal Bin (6 February 2024). "Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH: Petra Group boss sued, plaintiffs eye Anwar as witness".
  23. ↑ "SJ Grant Thornton Awards its inaugural Corporate Leader of the Year".
  24. ↑ "Malaysia's Richest No. 16 Vinod Sekhar". Forbes.com. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  25. ↑ "Global Green and the Sustainable Development Goals". Global Green. 8 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "7 Indian-origin persons to get GOPIO award". Rediff News. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  27. ↑ "Rektor, Dekan, Kaprodi, Jabatan Struktural UPH". UPH | Universitas Pelita Harapan.
  28. ↑ "Vinod Sekhar launches The Vibes, a new site covering Malaysian news". BEAMSTART - Uplifting Lives Through Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  29. ↑ "Vibes news portal launched | Daily Express Online - Sabah's Leading News Portal". dailyexpress.com.my. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  30. ↑ "Vinod Sekhar". IMDb. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  31. ↑ Liar's Dice (2013) - IMDb , retrieved 16 June 2020
  32. ↑ Wong, Silvia. "How 'Borrowed Time' and 'The Sunny Side of the Street' rose through the HAF ranks". Screen. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
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.