Page 68 - Forbes - India (January 2020)

Cross Border

courteSy: bXai niLotpaL baruah
Thippaporn
ronald Chao Kiran Mazumdar-shaw
Ahriyavraromp,

51
Founder and Group Ceo,
DT Group of Companies
(DTGo)
ThAIlAND
The daughter of Thai billionaire
dhanin Chearavanont, Thippaporn
has been a lifelong champion of
philanthropy and is devoted to
causes in education, the
environment and health care. She
channels 2 percent of the
revenues from her privately held
investment group, dTGo, to the
importance of cross-border also pledged $2 million recently to education-focussed Buddharaksa
relationships. To date, the the Memorial Sloan Kettering Foundation, which she started in
Chao’s Bai Xian Asia Institute has institute has awarded 480 Cancer Center in New York to 2002, and to her family’s dhanin
handed out at least 85 scholarships to students from 25 establish the Mazumdar-Shaw Tawee Chearavanont Foundation,
scholarships to Asian students in Asian countries and territories. International Clinical which she chairs. last
2019, each up to $25,000, to Fellowships. Mazumdar-Shaw, year, Thippaporn and her husband
study at universities in China and ● SUzANNE NAM who signed the Giving Pledge in Jwanwat Ahriyavraromp founded
Japan. The funding for these 2016, has also given $3.5 million the Blue Carbon Society,
scholarships comes primarily to Krea University, a new liberal an environmental
from a $100 million endowment Kiran arts university in southern India. “I group focussed on
Chao made in 2014 to establish remain committed to continue protecting Thailand’s
the education-focussed institute. Mazumdar- making a difference through mangroves. Mangroves can be
The institute has four other philanthropy,” she says. critical in fighting against climate
68 founders, who donated a Shaw, 66 ● NAAzNEEN KArMAlI change, the group notes, as they
combined $10 million. Chao is its Chairman and managing absorb greenhouse gases up to
honorary chairman, his daughter director, Biocon four times faster than land-based
ronna is a co-founder and CEo forests. Blue Carbon signed an
and brother Silas Chou sits on its Rita Tong Liu, 71 agreement in August with the
advisory council. Chao made his John Shaw, 70 United Nations development
fortune from the family’s textile Chairman, Gale Well Group Program to protect 24 sq km of
business, Novel Enterprises, Vice chairman, Biocon hoNG KoNG mangroves southwest of Bangkok.
which started as an unbranded INDIA The couple will donate $350,000
supplier of clothing and then A devout Catholic, liu marked her to fund the three-year project.
moved into branded merchandise, Biotech entrepreneur Mazumdar- 70th birthday in June 2018 by
developing both Tommy Hilfiger Shaw and her husband in July giving HK$80 million ($10 million) ● roN GlUCKMAN
and Michael Kors into major donated $7.5 million to the to the Catholic-run Caritas
brands. A lifelong believer in University of Glasgow, the largest Institute of Higher Education
international education, he earned single donation the university has through her family’s l&T courteSy: dtGo
his bachelor’s degree in received. Shaw, his brother and Charitable Foundation. The funds
mechanical engineering from the late mother are alumni. Two- will be used to help the school
University of Tokyo in 1962 and a thirds of the grant is earmarked evolve into Hong Kong’s first
master’s in mechanical for a research hub to be called Catholic university. The Institute
engineering from the University of Shaw Plaza. The remainder will has named its school of business
Illinois in 1964. The experience, he endow a professorial chair in and hospitality management after
says, helped him realise the precision oncology. The couple liu and its school of social
sciences after her mother,
Felizberta lo Padilla Tong. liu, who
rita Tong liu founded property developer Gale
Well Group in 1976, is Hong Kong’s
fourth-richest woman. She set up
l&T in 2003 and in 2015
established the rita T
liu Foundation, both of which have
donated a combined HK$400
million over the years to causes
such as cultural heritage
conservation, medical research,
and women’s rights.
● JANE Ho
Thippaporn Ahriyavraromp
courteSy: GaLe WeLL Group

forbes indiA • january 31, 2020