Page 30 - Forbes - Asia (December 2019 - January 2020)
P. 30
MARCUS BLACKMORE, 74
Executive Director, Blackmores
AUSTRALIA
Blackmore donated A$10 mil-
lion ($7.2 million) last November
to Australia’s Southern Cross
University to establish a Na-
tional Center for Naturopathic
Medicine. It was the single
Belinda Tanoto
largest donation the university
had ever received and will be
used to support higher educa-
tion and research. “We have a BELINDA TANOTO, 34
responsibility to respond to the TOH SOON HUAT, 59 LIU DAOMING, 62
growing healthcare needs of Director, Royal Golden Eagle Executive Chairman, WANG PING
Australia, and evidence-based Sian Chay Medical Institution Chairman and Owner, Myhome
natural medicine will play an ANDERSON TANOTO, 30 SINGAPORE Real Estate Development Group
increasingly active role in that Director, Royal Golden Eagle CHINA
INDONESIA Toh, an entrepreneur turned full-
response,” Blackmore says. His
Southern Cross donation fol- time philanthropist, has given Liu and his wife Wang Ping last
lows a similar one in 2017 to the The Tanoto siblings lead their away nearly S$4 million ($2.9 year pledged $11 million to the
National Institute of Comple- family’s philanthropy through million), primarily to provide Myhome Community Volunteer
mentary Medicine at Western the Tanoto Foundation. The traditional Chinese medicine to Philanthropic Foundation in
Sydney University and a A$1.3 family this year donated $16.7 the underprivileged and elderly, China’s Hubei Province. The
million, up 30% from 2018, with almost S$300,000 of that
million donation in 2015 to couple set up the foundation in
primarily to support and provide donated since 2018. As execu-
establish a chair in integrative 2016 with a $3 million endow-
medicine at the University of education for all, from early tive chairman of the Sian Chay ment to help senior citizens
Sydney. Blackmore owns a 23% childhood to university. It also Medical Institution, an unpaid volunteer for community ser-
stake in the Blackmores health aims to prevent stunted growth position, Toh has expanded the vices in their area of expertise:
supplements group that his in Indonesia’s children—which 118-year-old institution from a for example, retired teachers
father, Maurice, founded in the afflicts an estimated 10 million single clinic serving 26 patients a tutor children and former
1930s. —Lucinda Schmidt of the country’s youth. Of the day to 15 clinics serving roughly medical professionals offer free
two, Belinda is the most actively 1,100 patients daily across Singa-
involved in the foundation and pore. The son of a taxi driver, Toh healthcare lectures. A total of
focuses primarily on early started his furniture brand No- 11,000 volunteers have so far
spent nearly 310,000 hours in
childhood development. The vena in 1984 and in 2000 listed
the foundation’s programs.
foundation has so far trained it on the Singapore Exchange.
15,000 teachers and funded He sold his roughly 28% stake in Liu’s Myhome property group
nearly 7,500 university scholar- 2009 for S$8.5 million; his wife is a publicly listed company
ships. The Tanotos own Royal Lee Kek Choo sold her minority that had 2.5 billion yuan
Golden Eagle, which holds stake between 2011 to 2013 for ($350 million) in revenue last
interests in various companies a total of roughly S$3.1 million. year. This year, Liu signed the
across Asia. Their parents, —Sheela Sarvananda Giving Pledge. —Jane Ho
Sukanto and Tinah Bingei LISA MAREE WILLIAMS/GETTY IMAGES FOR FORBES; COURTESY OF TANOTO FOUNDATION; COURTESY OF TOH SOON HUAT
Tanoto, started giving to phil-
Toh Soon Huat
anthropic causes in the 1980s.
The family’s efforts have since
expanded as far as China, where
the foundation offers training to
parents in rural areas. In Singa-
pore, the foundation supports
research on diseases prevalent
in Asia. Separately, Anderson
devotes about a fifth of his time
to the foundation’s leadership
training programs and its
support of the United Nations’
sustainable development goals.
—Pudji Lestari
28 | FORBES ASIA DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020
