KUALA LUMPUR (June 11): Tan Sri Dr Chan Ah Chye, the major shareholder and director of property developer Talam Transform Bhd (KL:TALAMT), passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 78.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Talam Transform confirmed the demise of Chan, who was its non-independent and non-executive director — a post he was re-designated to in 2009. Prior to that, Chan, who joined the group's board on Nov 6, 1990, was the group's executive chairman.

According to an obituary sighted by The Edge, Chan left behind his wife Puan Sri Thong Nyok Choo, his son Chan Tet Eu, who is currently an executive director of Talam Transform, and his daughters Chan Siu Wei and Candice Chan Siu Ching.

The wake and funeral service will be held at Nirvana 2 at Jalan Dewan Bahasa in Kuala Lumpur.

Chan, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Malaya in 1970, has over five decades of experience in the property and construction industry.

He started his career with Messrs Binnie & Partners (M) Sdn Bhd and later joined Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor in 1971 as a project manager handling project designs, management and property development.

Chan was also the executive director and former major shareholder of Kumpulan Europlus Bhd, now known as WCE Holdings Bhd (KL:WCEHB).

As at July 3, 2023, Chan owned a direct 23.47% stake and an indirect 6.03% stake in Talam Transform. Among the group's top 30 largest shareholders were WCE Holdings and POS Malaysia Bhd (KL:POS).

When contacted by The Edge, Talam Transform former executive director Yaw Chun Soon said it was an honour and privilege to have worked with Chan.

"Tan Sri is a giant of a man in vision and passions and yet possesses a big caring heart of generosity and concern for others. He will be greatly missed," he said.

At its closing price of two sen on Tuesday, Talam Transform has a market capitalisation of RM64.43 million.