Early Life and Education
Jeffrey Cheah was born in Pusing, Perak, Malaysia, in 1945. He grew up in a working-class household and witnessed the challenges of the tin-mining town. He pursued a business degree at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, where he studied accounting. This education laid the foundation for his future entrepreneurial endeavors.
Rise to Success
In 1974, Jeffrey Cheah founded Sunway Group with a small tin-mining company. Over the decades, Cheah transformed this company into one of Malaysia's largest conglomerates. A key achievement was the development of Bandar Sunway (Sunway City) in Selangor. This project transformed a former tin-mining wasteland into an integrated, green township with residential, commercial, and leisure components.
Key Business Strategies
Sunway Group's success is attributed to its diversified business model. The group operates across various sectors, including property development, construction, healthcare, education, hospitality, and retail. The company’s success is built on the 'Build-Own-Operate' model, creating self-sustaining communities. This strategy has fostered integrated environments for living, learning, working, and leisure, which is aligned with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles.
Philanthropy
Jeffrey Cheah is a dedicated philanthropist, particularly in the field of education. He established the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation in 2007, which is the largest of its kind in Malaysia, focused on advancing education. Through this foundation, he has contributed significantly to scholarships and educational causes. His commitment to education extends to partnerships with prestigious universities, which include the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and the University of Oxford.