10.Tan Sri Dato' Azman Hashim

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.