Successful Entrepreneurs

The well-known shoe designer, Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo is a Malaysian fashion designer and which is known for its selection of handmade women's shoes. He is born on 15th Nov 1952. His family is of Chinese descent and is shoemakers.

Before fame, he made shoes for the first time when he was 11 years old and attended Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney, England. He has won numerous awards including the 2011 Design for Asia Award in the World's Outstanding Chinese Designer category. Jimmy Choo was founded with British Vogue magazine editor, Tamara Mellon, in 1996.

Jimmy Choo is a 21st century shoes luxury accessories brand. The brand traces its roots to a bespoke shoemaker named Jimmy Choo, based in the East End of London in the early 1990s, who catered to the global jet set, including Princess Diana. The Jimmy Choo company was founded in 1996, with Mr Choo’s niece, Sandra Choi, who had been heading up design in the East End atelier, coming on board as Creative Director, a position she holds to this day. Mr Choo departed the company in 2001. With a goal of creating a global luxury business, Jimmy Choo attracted outside investment and the company embarked on a significant expansion across product categories, channels and geographies. A pioneer in the art of celebrity dressing, Jimmy Choo was among the first to bring shoes and handbags to Hollywood where the red carpet proved to be the ideal runway for the brand. Today, Jimmy Choo can be seen on style icons from celebrities to royalty, musicians to heads of state.

Retail development has been integral to the company’s strategy. The first Jimmy Choo store was opened in 1996 on Motcomb Street in London, complementing a distribution in some of the most prestigious multi-brand stores in the world. After two years, the company expanded to the US, opening two stores in New York City and Beverly Hills. International expansion continued with Jimmy Choo securing locations in the premiere luxury shopping destinations of the world’s most prestigious cities including Sloane Street and Bond Street in London, Avenue Montaigne in Paris, Via Condotti in Rome, Madison Avenue in New York, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and Ginza in Tokyo.

Today, Jimmy Choo encompasses a complete luxury accessories brand. Women’s shoes remain the core of the product offer, alongside handbags, small leather goods, scarves, sunglasses, eyewear, belts, fragrance and men’s shoes. Pierre Denis was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2012 and the creative direction is overseen by Sandra Choi. Together, they share a vision to create one of the world’s most treasured luxury brands. Jimmy Choo has a store network encompassing 167 stores in 35 countries and is present in the most prestigious department and specialty stores worldwide. In October 2014 Jimmy Choo PLC was publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange with the ticker CHOO.

What I learnt from Jimmy Choo are Malaysians really Boleh!  On top of that, his achievements totally proven to some Malaysians who always being judgmental with people who’s working in the art industry and underestimate art industry itself, that they are wrong and there are values in each art piece created.

Dato’ Seri Mohd Nazir Razak

Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak as he is often known, is currently the Group Chief Executive Officer or Managing Director of CIMB Group Holdings Berhad (“CIMB Group”).He is born in Kuala Lumpur in 1966. He attended St. John’s Institution and Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur before continuing his secondary education at Oundle School in the United Kingdom from the age of 13. He graduated from the University of Bristol with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Economics and Politics, and obtained a Master of Philosophy in Development Economics from the University of Cambridge. He returned from the UK in 1989 and joined the corporate advisory department of CIMB Investment. In 1993, he was transferred to the bank’s stock-broking arm where he rose to the position of Executive Director. He moved back to CIMB Investment Bank as Deputy Chief Executive on 1 June 1996 and became the Chief Executive on 1 June 1999 at the age of 33. Dato’ Sri Nazir spearheaded the CIMB’s transformation from a Malaysian investment bank to a regional universal bank via the acquisitions of G.K. Goh Securities and Bumiputra-Commerce Bank in 2005, Southern Bank in 2006, Bank Niaga in 2007, Bank Lippo and Bank Thai in 2008. During this 5 year period, CIMB’s staff strength grew from about 1,000 to 40,000 while total assets rose from RM13 billion to RM284 billion.

CIMB Group is today Malaysia’s 2nd largest financial services group and the 5th largest in the ASEAN region. It has the region’s largest investment banking operations and retail bank branch network. CIMB Group and its subsidiaries located in 8 out of 10 ASEAN nations, collectively caters to the universal banking needs of over 14 million customers across the region. It is currently the 3rd largest listed company on Bursa Malaysia with a market value of about RM55 billion.

Under Dato’ Sri Nazir’s stewardship, CIMB Group has won many prestigious accolades. In 2011, CIMB Group was recognized by Finance Asia as Malaysia’s Best Investment Bank, Best Bond House, Best Equity House and Best Broker. The Group was also named Best Islamic Bank in Asia and Best Bank in Malaysia by Euro money. Most recently, CIMB Group was recognized as the Most Admired ASEAN Enterprise for Employment by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council.

Dato’ Sri Nazir became the youngest ever recipient of Finance Asia’s prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2009. In 2008 he was voted as the second best bank CEO in the whole of Asia. He was also named the “Best Top Executive in Malaysia” by Asia money in 2009 and 2010 as well as “Best CEO (Malaysia)” by Finance Asia in the Asia’s Best Managed Companies Poll 2011.

Dato’ Sri Nazir has also made very significant contributions to community service. He was instrumental in setting up the CIMB Foundation in 2007. CIMB pledged a sum of RM100 million to support the Foundation’s activities. Since 2008, thousands of Malaysians have benefitted through numerous community empowerment projects, sports development projects and scholarships provided by the Foundation. CIMB foundation has now extended its activities to the rest of ASEAN.

In recognition of his achievements and contributions to society, he was awarded the Darjah Sultan Ahmad Shah (DSAP) carrying the title ‘Dato’ in 2003, the Sri Indera Mahkota Pahang (SIMP) carrying the title ‘Dato’ in 2004, and the Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (SSAP) which carries Dato’ Sri in 2008, all from Pahang.

CIMB has grown to become the largest investment bank in Asia-Pacific with staff strength growing from 1,000 to 42,000 employees today. The Group’s retail banking branch network is the widest in the region, with a total of 1,080 retail branches in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia.

CIMB’s core market is in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand and the Group is currently focusing on strengthening its presence throughout the rest of the ASEAN region. They have aligned their business model to the ASEAN Economic Community’s regional economic integration by pushing for CIMB’s presence in every regional market.  Dato’ Sri Nazir added that the Group’s commitment to the region is reflected in its “ASEAN for you” tagline. CIMB’s regional strategic approach and market presence has deepened the Group’s understanding of the prevailing financial cultures and conditions in various ASEAN countries. The regional market know-how has allowed the Group to evolve business strategies which address needs, requirements and cultures across the different regional markets. For example, to gain access into more established market like Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia, we needed to acquire a local financial institution whereas for emerging markets like Cambodia, we were able to apply for a banking license. To ensure that CIMB remains a truly universal entity, Dato’ Sri Nazir has ensured that its regional workforce is given a voice in determining the direction of the Group through a management strategy that embraces diversity.

What I learnt from Dato’ Sri Nazir are learn to anticipate and innovate. Dato’ Sri Nazir said that when building businesses, power lies in the ability to anticipate and read the future. He explained that emerging markets are very lucky as they could look at developed markets and anticipate future trends. It was this observation that made CIMB diversify its strength in the equities market and develop its highly successful corporate bonds business. Besides that, learn to make the most out of what you have. When asked whether his being a former Prime Minister’s son has given him an added advantage in life, Dato’ Sri Nazir admits that he does not know whether it helped. Even when Dato’ Sri Nazir feels that some people may make it easier for him when they recognize his name, he felt that it’s not about getting in the door. In the end, it’s about making the most of what you have.

Malaysia’s well-known airline empire owner, Tony Fernandes

A bizarre risk that TONY FERNANDES took on to kick-start his career in the aviation industry, is buying, owning, developing and managing over an almost-bankrupt airline company  to one of the top-notch airline companies which is AirAsia.

Tony Fernandes Group Chief Executive Officer AirAsia Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes has a personal credo - "Believe the unbelievable. Dream the impossible. Never take no for an answer." He studied at Epsom College, UK, and the London School of Economics and qualified as an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1991. He became a Fellow Member in 1996. He was admitted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) in 2008. Tony has been the Group CEO of AirAsia since December 2001. Prior to AirAsia, he was the Financial Controller of Virgin Communications London before joining Warner Music International London in 1989. He was promoted to Managing Director, Warner Music Malaysia in 1992 and to Regional Managing Director, Warner Music South East Asia in 1996. In 1999, he became the Vice President of Warner Music South East Asia. Tony's many awards include Honor of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 for services to promote commercial and educational links between the UK and Malaysia. In 2010, the French government had conferred on him the award of Officer of the Legion d'Honneur, the highest award that can be conferred on a non-French national. He was named as one of the world's 100 most creative people in business for 2011 by New York-based business magazine Fast Company, and awarded the Inaugural ‘Travel Business Leaders Award’ winner by CNBC.

It was through Datuk Pahamin A. Rejab, the former secretary-general of the Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry that Fernandes came to meet with then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in October 2001. Instead of starting from scratch, Mahathir advised Fernandes to buy an existing airline. AirAsia, the heavily indebted subsidiary of the Malaysian government-owned conglomerate, DRB-Hicom, was losing money. Fernandes mortgaged his home and used his personal savings to acquire the company, comprising two Boeing 737-300 jet aircraft and debts of US$11 million (RM40 million), for one ringgit (about 26 US cents), and transformed it into an industry player. One year after his takeover, AirAsia had broken even and cleared all its debts. Its initial public offering (IPO) in November 2004 was oversubscribed by 130 per cent. Fernandes says his timing was in fact perfect when after 11 September 2001, aircraft leasing costs fell 40%. Airline lay-offs meant experienced staff was readily available. He believed Malaysian travellers would embrace a cut-rate air service that would save them time and money, especially in a tight economy. Fernandes estimates about 50% of the travellers on Asia’s budget airlines are first-time flyers. Before the advent of AirAsia, he estimated that only six per cent of Malaysians had ever travelled by air.

Fernandes' biggest achievement was to open up countries within the region to new budget carriers, which previously did not have open-skies agreements. As a result of Fernandes' lobbying in mid-2003, Dr Mahathir brought up the idea with leaders from neighbouring countries. Those nations subsequently granted landing rights to AirAsia and other discount carriers. In Thailand and Indonesia, AirAsia holds a minority stake in the respective local companies. Thai AirAsia, a joint venture with Shin Corporation, Thailand’s largest telecommunication conglomerate, took to the skies in Feb 2004 and has to date carried over 1 million passengers in its first year of operations. PT Awair, re-launched as a low fare airline on 8 December 2004 and subsequently renamed Indonesia AirAsia, presently serves 5 domestic destinations in Indonesia

What I’ve learnt from his action is we need to be confident in anything that we do, aware of the outcomes when taking a risk, move forward, and don’t regret. Year by year, he has strived on developing it. Now it has become as a pure competitor in the aviation industry, competing with Malaysia Airlines and other airlines as well. On top of that, his entrepreneurship successes, I also learnt that nothing is impossible if one have the passion to strive harder and succeed well.

Tan Sri Dato Sri Mohd Hassan Marican

Tan Sri Hassan Marican was born in Sungai Petani, Kedah. He had his early education at the Ibrahim Secondary School, Sungai Petani, Kedah and later continued his studies at the Malay College, Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Tan Sri Hassan Marican began his service in Petronas in 1989 as senior vice-president of finance and served as its president and chief executive officer for 15 years. Between 2004 and 2010, the low key and astute professional was also the national oil company’s acting chairman. Trained as a chartered accountant, Hassan together with the late Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin Hassan, drove the internationalization of Petronas and the group’s expansion into the downstream petrochemical businesses. Hassan steered Petronas’ expansion abroad, where it competed with some of the world’s largest oil majors. Under his stewardship, the oil company had also landed with mega lucrative jobs abroad, including Iraq. When it was time to leave, Hassan was offered the post of special adviser to the Prime Minister on gas but he had turned it down. There has been life speculation on the reasons for his departure but none of it has been publicly acknowledged. Hassan is today employed by Singapore-listed SembCorp Industries Ltdas its non-executive director. SembCorp Industries, controlled by Temasek Holdings, is involved in energy and water business and is also active in marine and offshore engineering.

As a result of his leadership and with the cooperation and commitment of all concerned, Petronas has emerged from a small ordinary oil company, compared to the oil giants of SHELL and ESSO, to become the top 500 companies in terms of income returns as published in the Fortune Global 500. With a net profit of US 4.3 billion, it was placed 254. His experience as a chartered accountant and in handling the multi-faceted aspects of the oil business had enabled him to manage the biggest engineering concern in Malaysia, employing more than 4000 engineers.

Through his leadership, Petronas has boldly ventured into the automotive industry by starting the project to produce the first commercial engine in Malaysia. This project has succeeded in producing a 2000cc engine that meet the high specifications in 7 major aspects of motor engineering and could be used in any car model. This is proof that Malaysians are able and capable and at par with others in the automotive industry. Tan Sri Hassan was able to let Petronas create a niche in the international arena when it succeeded in constructing the first 'Triple Well' in the world in Sarawak. This innovative technology uses three wells with six production lines which were dug through a shared line. Sensitivity towards environment concerns has led Petronas, under the leadership of Tan Sri Hassan, to introduce Enviro 2000, that an environmental-friendly vehicle which uses natural gas (NGV).

In recognition of his dynamic, aggressive and effective leadership, he was conferred the A.M.K. in 1991, the Darjah Sultan Mahmud Terengganu Yang Amat Terpuji in 1982, the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Terengganu in 1996 and the Panglima Setia Mahkota (P.S.M.) which carries the title Tan Sri in 1997. Apart from those, he was honoured by the French government, which bestowed him with the 'Commandeur de la Legion D'Honneur' in 2000. He was also awarded the 'Friendship Medal' from the Vietnamese Government in 2001. In the accountancy field, Tan Sri Mohd. Hassan Marican was given due recognition as 'Fellow Institute of Chartered Accountants' in England and Wales, as well as member of 'Malaysian Institute of Accountants' and 'Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants'. He was also honoured by the University of Malaya with an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his role and contributions in the development and achievement in the field of engineering in the country.

What I heard from my friends and read from the media, many (that’s includes me as well) were disappointed at him leaving PETRONAS. It was informed that many cried over a two-page farewell note that he posted in the PETRONAS Intranet yesterday. With a tinge of sadness and mixed feeling, my comment is, a great man such as Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican has surely left a great legacy to the future PETRONAS generation and thus, he has to go to build another realm for another great triumph for this lovely nation – Malaysia. Thank you Tan Sri.