Tan Sri Azman Hashim, chairman, Azman Hashim Foundation

Owner of the fifth largest bank in Malaysia, the “singing banker” is said to have a net worth of US$660 million, according to Forbes. A beneficiary of an Australian government Colombo Plan scholarship, the chartered accountant is one of the founders, and treasurer, of the Malaysia-Australia Foundation, which together with the Malaysian Australian Alumni Council, established a scholarship programme for Malaysians to study in Australia and vice versa.

Azman is involved in a number of philanthropic efforts, such as chairman of AmGroup Foundation, Perdana Leadership Foundation and ECM Libra Foundation. He is also the trustee for the Azman Hashim Foundation, Yayasan Perpaduan Nasional, Malaysian Liver Foundation, Yayasan Tuanku Najihah, Yayasan Canselor Open University Malaysia and Yayasan Wakaf Malaysia.

In 2008, the Azman Hashim Foundation donated RM6.4 million to the International Islamic University Malaysia to construct the Azman Hashim Complex. Rental income from the complex, which was launched in July this year, and revenue from the multi-purpose hall will be used to sponsor 15 students through the IIUM Endowment Fund. In the same year, Azman also pledged RM3 million to the Yayasan Canselor Fund of Open University Malaysia, where he is pro-chancellor. The Yayasan Canselor Fund is disbursed as scholarships, research grants, bursaries, fellowships, awards and other similar aids.

In August, the AmBank-MyKasih Community Programme contributed RM52,000 to 50 hardcore poor families in Subang Jaya.

This article appeared in Management@work, the monthly management pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 826, Oct 4-10, 2010.