Tan Sri Dato'
Azman Hashim, AO (born July 1939 in Kuala Lumpur) is one of the richest people
in Malaysia and his net worth is estimated by Forbes to be US$600 million,
making him the 9th richest person in Malaysia .
Tan Sri Dato’
Azman Hashim was born in July 1939 in Kuala Lumpur to a family of thirteen
siblings and spent his childhood in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. His father was
a strict disciplinarian and his mother was a school teacher who later became
headmistress of the Kampung Baru Girls’ School. In 1954, he sat for the Senior
Cambridge Examination and obtained a first grade. He had wanted to pursue
medicine but was offered accountancy instead on a Colombo Plan Scholarship
which took him to Australia from 1955 to 1960.He became a Chartered Accountant
and Chartered Secretary before the age of 21.
He became a Fellow of both the
Chartered Institute of Accountants, Australia (FCA Australia) and the Institute
of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (FCIS) in 1960. Later he also
became a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, Malaysia, the Institute of
Directors, Malaysia and the Malaysian Institute of Management.
Tan Sri Dato’
Azman Hashim is well known as a corporate figure. His professional experience
began in Perth, Australia where he was employed by Messrs O.L. Haines & Co
(Chartered Accountants) from 1955-1960. In 1960, he returned to serve with Bank
Negara Malaysia until May 1964 when he left to start his own accountancy
practice of Azman & Co which later grew into a partnership, Azman Wong
Salleh & Co (Chartered Accountants). He then joined the Board of Malayan
Banking Berhad in 1966 and was its Executive Director from 1971 to 1980. He was
appointed Executive Chairman of Kwong Yik Bank Berhad in 1980 until 1982 when
he became Chairman of the AmBank Group until today. Currently, Tan Sri Dato’
Azman Hashim is Executive Chairman of Amcorp Group Berhad and Chairman of
several subsidiaries of the AmBank Group and also Amcorp Properties Berhad.[3]
Tan Sri Dato’Azman is Chairman of the
·
Malaysian
Investment Banking Association
·
National
Productivity Corporation
·
Pacific
Basin Economic Council International(PBEC)
·
Non-Aligned
Movement's (NAM) Business Council
·
Co-Chairman
of Malaysia-Singapore Roundtable
·
Co-Chair,
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP) Business Advisory Council
·
Board
of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation
and President of
·
Malaysia
South-South Corporation Berhad
·
Malaysia-Japan
Economic Association
·
Malaysia
South-South Association
·
Friends
of Prisons Association
He is also a Member of the
·
National
Economic Consultative Council II (MAPEN II)
·
Business
Advisory Council of APEC (”ABAC”)
·
The
Trilateral Commission (Asia-Pacific Group)
·
Board
of Advisors, AIM Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility
·
Malaysia-British
Business Council
·
Malaysia-China
Business Council
·
International
Advisory Panel, Bank Negara Malaysia
·
International
Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF)
·
International
Advisory Panel,World Islamic Economic Forum
·
Leader
of the ASEAN-Japanese Business Meeting (Malaysia Committee, Keizai Doyukai)
He also serves as
the Treasurer for the Malaysia-US Private Sector Consultative Group and the
Malaysia-Australia Foundation and also Vice-Chairman of the Malaysian Business
Council and one of the Governors of the Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry
(JACTIM) Malaysia Foundation. He is also one of the trustees for Malaysian
Liver Foundation, Better Malaysia Foundation, ECM Libra Foundation in addition
to the AmGroup Foundation.
His past involvement included the Chairmanship of
:
Board of Trustees National Art Gallery (from 1984
to 1991)
Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (from
1997 to 2000)
President of Malaysian Medical Association
Foundation (from 1991 to 2003 )
Member of the Investment Panel of Lembaga Urusan
Tabung Haji (Pilgrimage Fund Board) from 1976 to 1995
Patron of the Malaysian Endurance Riding Society
(from 2001 to 2004)
Tan Sri Dato’
Azman Hashim’s impressive and extensive contribution to many facets of
Malaysian economic landscape has not gone unnoticed. To date he has been
awarded numerous honours. His first major award was the Darjah ”Kesatria Mangku
Negara” bestowed by His Majesty Yang DiPertuan Agong in 1972; His Royal
Highness the Sultan of Selangor honoured him with the ”Darjah Dato’ Paduka
Mahkota Selangor” (DPMS) in 1980 which carried the title Dato’; this was
followed by the ”Johan Mahkota Negara” (JMN) awarded by His Majesty Yang
DiPertuan Agong in 1984. The Asian Finance magazine named him ”Asia’s Banker of
the Year” in 1985. This was followed by His Majesty Yang DiPertuan Agong
awarding him the ”Darjah Panglima Setia Mahkota” (PSM) in 1988 which bestowed
on him the title ”Tan Sri”.
Tan Sri Dato’
Azman Hashim has also earned international recognition. In 1993, the ASEAN
Business Forum (formerly known as the ASEAN Institute) presented him with the
”ASEAN Businessman of the Year” award. This was followed in 1995 by the
”Manager of the Year” award from the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of
Malaysia. The Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce awarded him with the
”Grand Entrepreneurial Award” in June 1996 and a year later he received the
”Menteri Besar Grand Entrepreneurial Award” from the Selangor Chamber of
Commerce in 1997. The latest accolade bestowed on him was the ”Sathya Sai
Educare Academy Values for Life Excellence” for his humanitarian contribution
in 2004. He received a lifetime achievement award, at 4th Annual Islamic
Business and Finance Awards 2009.[4]
As testimony to
his inspirational prominence in business and community affairs - Universiti
Utara Malaysia honoured him with an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy in 1985.
In recognition of his immense contribution to and success in entrepreneurship,
the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in Business
Administration in 2004.
He is an Honorary
Officer of the Order of Australia.
He married on 3
March 1963 and he is blessed with two sons, three daughters and ten
grandchildren. Tan Sri Dato’Azman Hashim’s passion also extends to the golf
courses and to water sports like riding jet skis, powerboats, scuba diving and
he is also known to be the ”Singing Banker”. One of his daughter, Shazrina
Azman, is known to be a local artist, nicknamed as Mizz Nina.