Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, 28 November 2023 – Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Sir Jeffrey Cheah KBE AO has been named winner of this year’s EY ASEAN Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, which recognises successful Southeast Asian businesses that contribute to the economy and community in the region.
“EY is one of the world’s most prestigious accounting and consulting firms, and I am humbled to receive this ASEAN Entrepreneurial Excellence award. Sunway Group and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation fully share EY’s commitment to building a more progressive, sustainable and inclusive world,” said Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah in accepting the prestigious award.
“Sunway Group will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary next year — and this award serves as an early ‘birthday present’ for everyone at Sunway and all affiliated with the brand and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation,” he added.
On Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah’s contributions and achievements, EY Asean Regional Managing Partner and EY Singapore and Brunei Managing Partner Ernst & Young Solutions Mr Liew Nam Soon shared, “Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah’s story exemplifies how sustainability and profitability are complementary, evidenced by how he transformed Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, which was previously an 800-acre tin mine, into Malaysia’s first integrated green township and a sterling example of sustainable development for ASEAN.
“Under his astute leadership, Sunway Group continues to integrate technology and sustainable innovations into its business and is today a leading conglomerate with diverse businesses in the region. Beyond building a successful business, Tan Sri Sir makes quality education and world-class expertise affordable and accessible in Malaysia through the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, which has disbursed education scholarships and grants exceeding RM670m in 2023,” added Mr. Liew Nam Soon.
The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation is the largest of its kind in advancing education in Malaysia. As founder and trustee, and as a strong advocate for quality education and world-class research, and sustainable development, Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey aims to give out several billion ringgits in scholarships in his lifetime, fulling his personal life philosophy of “aspiring to inspire before I expire”.
In recognition of his extraordinary achievements and services to higher education, healthcare and philanthropy, as well as his lifelong commitment to nation-building and sustainable development, Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah is also the first Malaysian to have been conferred the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE), by His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom.
He is also only the second philanthropist in Asia to have been named four times as Forbes Asia Hero of Philanthropy. These honours are a testament to Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah’s meritorious contributions towards building a better world for future generations.
