Page 23 - Forbes - Asia (December 2019 - January 2020)

JACK MA, 55
Founder, Jack Ma Foundation
CHINA

See profile on page 14.

JUDITH NEILSON, 73
Founder and Patron, JN Projects
AUSTRALIA

THEODORE RACHMAT, 76 Neilson committed A$100 mil-
Founder, Triputra Group lion ($72 million) last November
INDONESIA to establish the Judith Neilson
Institute for Journalism & Ideas
Mining and agribusiness tycoon in Sydney. The Institute sponsors
Rachmat has since 2018 donated grants, education and events
nearly $5 million toward his to encourage quality indepen-
A&A Rachmat Compassionate dent journalism, including more
Service Foundation, which sup- reporting on Asia. In July, it an-
ports educational opportunities, nounced its first series of grant
healthcare and orphanages. programs, which will support a
Launched in 1999 as a scholar- number of news outlets, includ-
ship fund, the foundation has ing the reopening of the Austra-
awarded scholarships to 21,000 lian Financial Review’s Southeast
recipients over the years, with Asia bureau. Neilson owns a 21%
Rachmat contributing $12.5 mil- stake in Platinum Asset Manage-
lion. To ensure that students stay ment, the global investment
in school and learn effectively group founded in 1994 by her
from an early stage, the founda- ex-husband, Kerr Neilson. She
tion also organizes annual train- also owns one of the world’s
ing programs for primary school most significant collections
teachers. In 2005, it expanded of Chinese contemporary art,
into healthcare, setting up clinics which is displayed in her White
in rural areas that charge patients Rabbit art gallery in Sydney.
less than $2 a visit. —Jolie Tran —Lucinda Schmidt
AHMAD ZAMRONI/HKV/FORBES INDONESIA; SCOTT BARBOUR/GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY OF SUNWAY GROUP

JEFFREY CHEAH, 74
Chairman, Sunway Group
MALAYSIA

Through his eponymous founda-
tion, Jeffrey Cheah has donated
almost $39 million to fund
scholarships and educational
causes since 2018. Cheah has
also provided funding to public
primary schools, giving a com-
bined $2.5 million to SJKC Chee
Wen in Selangor state and SJKC
Gunong Hijau in Perak state, and
another $6 million to schools
around Malaysia. Cheah is
founder and chairman of Sunway
group, which has interests in 11
industries across the Asia-Pacific.
Since 2009, he has gradu-
ally transferred his entire stake in
Sunway Education Group—val-
ued at more than $238 million—
to the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.
Jeffrey Cheah (right)
—Danielle Keeton-Olsen

DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020 FORBES ASIA | 21