Ruben Emir Gnana­lingam

Ruben Emir Gnana­lingam, son of founder and the CEO of Waterports

G. Gnanalingam, a second-generation Malaysian of Sri Lankan descent, was an unlikely contender to win the bid in 1994 to operate Westport’s, one of two terminals within Port Klang. Ruben Emir Gnana­lingam, his son and the CEO of Westport’s, recalls rival port officials had laughed at his father and said he was crazy to pump in money, while his early backers got cold feet and pulled out.

  “When my father told his investors, ‘I believe in this,’ they said ‘Buy my shares,’ which he did,” the son recalls.

“It’s a good thing they ­didn’t believe in him.”

Today the bustling port, one of 11 major terminals along Malaysia’s long seafront, is the basis of the family wealth, an estimated $360 million that puts the Gnana­lingams at No. 24 on this year’s rich list. A private company with no immediate plans for listing, Westport’s reported revenue of $325 million in 2010 and saw container volume jump 15% year-on-year in 2011.

 “With 95% of all world trade going through ports, my father felt there was a huge opportunity in this market,” Ruben recalls.

Though 2010 was profitable for the Gnana­lingams, the shipping trade generally is hard-pressed again, and the euro zone crisis bears on Port Klang particularly. Westport’s is looking to boost traffic by 9% this year.

Ruben says,

“Consumption throughout Europe is expected to grow slightly, flat at worst, but I do not expect it will be as bad as in 2008--09 where there was a knee-jerk reaction to the global financial crisis. Despite the sovereign debt issues, the Europeans are still buying manufacturing goods and need raw materials. Trade is sometimes different from the debt situation of the country, and how it will get out of debt is through trade.”

The founder of Waterports

The founder, now 67, turned over the CEO reins to the oldest of his three children in 2010. Now chairman, he still comes in frequently and handles government relations. Father and son are said to have different temperaments.

An Eton and London School of Economics graduate, Ruben started at the bottom as a stowage clerk and traffic controller for a few months in 1999, before moving on to planning. He left Westports in 2000 to start a dot-com incubator and then cashed out and returned to Westports in 2005. He counts other new generation entrepreneurs like Air­Asia’s Tony Fernandes as close friends and joined him in a ­minority stake in the Queens Park Rangers club of football’s Premier League last year. He also has a basketball team, the KL Dragons, with sons of other Malaysian tycoons.

Meantime Westport’s is also tendering to operate ports in India. In 2011 it won the rights together with SEW Construction group there to operate a coal terminal in Visakhapatnam feeding power plants in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. This terminal expects to handle 5 million tonnes of coal.

The regional jockeying is unrelenting as intra-Asian trade rises to join that along the Sino-Europe route. Ports in Indonesia could be a challenger to Westport’s if they are developed. There is talk that the Malaysian government is considering a proposal to add another container terminal in Port Klang, rivalling Westport’s.

T.S. Cheok, vice president of Selangor (state) Freight Forwarders & Logistics Association and a director of one such company, offers that, “Compared to other ports in Malaysia, Westport’s is progressive, proactive and customer-centric. Ruben is very willing to listen.”

The Gnanalingams also are quick to credit their 4,000 employees. Ruben says, “Anyone with the finances can buy equipment and build the wharf, but it is not easy to buy people and culture. We motivate people, plan well and automate processes to make it easier for our people to work. We try to keep our word and create a friendly and flexible culture. My father would say Taj Mahal was not built by Shah Jahan, it was built by the workers.”

SYED MOKHTAR ALBUKHARY “EDUCATION IS NOT EVERYTHING”

Tan Sri Syed Mokhar Al-Bukhary #6 Richest Malaysian

Perhaps in Malaysia, to survive in the business world is not just base on the education level but everything else counts as well. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary once said that hard work is the thing differentiating a business man from one another. Syed Mokhtar is now 60 years old and is one of the most respected Malaysia’s Bumiputra billionaire. His married and have 5 children in his life. 

This man is listed in Forbes as no #6 Richest People in Malaysia and also no #344 Forbes Billionaires. His Malaysia Mining Corp. runs Johor Port and the state's airport. He also won a big contract with GAMUDA to oversee construction of the mass-transit rail system in Kuala Lumpur. This has lead to an increase in his assets worth $3.3billion this year, 2012. He also set up his own ‘Al-Bukhary International University’ and his ‘Al-Bukhary Foundation’ funds remedial classes for thousands of underachieving students from poor rural families each year. So, it seems like he never forget where he came from after all as he tries to fetch and help more and more Malaysian which is not so lucky as others to further their studies and become someone like him. Perhaps he is trying to become the Malaysian Bill Gates, giving out stuff to become more famous? But, I hope he’s not and I hope he is honest in doing charity.

Have a net worth of $3.3 billion

He has also been identified as a major beneficiary of political connections that have given his subsidiary companies monopoly control over crucial Malaysian sectors, including rice, power and ports. His net assets is also looking good each year except in 2010 as it decline a bit but it showed an increasing manner day-after till now. This brilliant man also did undergo a few crisis or controversy in his way to the top. Some of them are about the donation amount with a company asset which are publically rumored that he uses the company’s money to charity. I can’t say much about that but what I know he is one of the brilliant brains Malaysian has ever had especially in the Bumiputra society. 

He wasn’t the luckiest guy in his youth era as he was born in a family that has a medium-poor background. He was force by nature to step early into the working world to fine money for his family and his self. But, the experience gain each year made him stronger every day. Many admire Syed Mokhtar for his hard work and what he has achieved today as well as what he has given to the society.

In my view, he could be recognized as a Legend. And, he will ‘Always’ be ‘A Legend’.

16 years Old Nick D’Aloisio Hits Jackpot

This young South Londoner has already managed to raise $250,000 in funding his newly creative creation, SUMMLY. This app which offers way to browse and search by automatically summarising search results, webpage and articles to make the content easier to shift to and find what’s most relevant to the user. In its first 4 days after it reached 17k downloads and is now well over 100,000. He is still studying for his GCSE’s but had to get special dispensation to delay his it while he travelled to San Francisco. He is one to watch in 2012. 

Better news is that this application is actually an iPhone app. This apps has the potential to go a lot further as everyone is looking for the easiest and shortest way to read about something. He explained where the idea actually came from and it is very true.

"I was revising for a history exam and using Google, clicking in and out of search results, and it seemed quite inefficient. If I found myself on a site that was interesting I was reading it and that was wasting time," he said.

"I thought that what I needed was a way of simplifying and summarising these web searches. Google has Instant Preview but that is just an image of the page. What I wanted was a content preview," he says.

He actually caught the eye of Horizons Venture, a company which helps new entrepreneurs by investing in the idea usually a business about IT technology. This newly iPhone app is said to be launch in mid-December. It also has plans to go into the Android and web version in the new year.

"There is an abundance of information, too many social networks creating too much content. You need tools like Summly and Siri to distil it," he says.

He believes that summaries could make it easier to share content on Facebook and Twitter, and also thinks there is potential to condense e-books and emails. 

Is he genius? No, he’s a Legend.

Kamarudin Meranum Opens Air Asia New Hub

This name is not more uncommon for Malaysian people. Dato’ Kamarudin Meranum is listed in Forbes richest people in Malaysia as the number #19^th. He is the co-founders of Tune Group and still the Deputy Group Chief Executive Director of Air Asia since 2001. His assets are recorded around RM1.480billion with shares are told to be 39.44% of Tune Air. Alongside Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranum has build up Tune Group and help the corporation to sign up for more types of business such as building hospitals, even management, finance and also telecommunication (Tune Talk). As the firm is growing globally, Kamarudin Meranum is also been known in other places.

On June 14, 2012, Kamarudin Meranum unveils the new official Air Asia nerve centre, Air Asia ASEAN, as a strategy on regional growth of the company. Air Asia ASEAN is understood to oversee the expansion blueprint for the carrier’s six subsidiary airlines which are five anchored in ASEAN and one in Japan. By doing this, Air Asia could expand their market base to 600 million people and bring ASEAN closer with them as well as Malaysia. Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranum have come out with a new strategy which is “within four-hour flight radii”. Meaning, all AirAsia flight will only fly to a destination which is less than 4 hours flying time. This will help Air Asia to bring in the mega population in China, India, Japan as well as South Korea to Malaysia.

“Shifting Air Asia’s emphasis to regional strategy is, we believe, not just good business, but also a move that will keep us ahead of the inevitable competition that is heading our way,” said Fernandes.

He added that establishing Air Asia ASEAN in Jakarta would also allow the airline to ride the wave of increasing regional integration due to the impending implementation of ASEAN Open Skies and ASEAN Economic Community initiatives.

“One of the reasons for locating the office in Jakarta is to help us engage more closely with the ASEAN Secretariat, which is headquartered here. Air Asia ASEAN will help ensure that our voice, our concerns and appeals are heard much more clearly in the corridors of power with ASEAN,” he explained.

Quizzed by TTG Asia e-Daily on what the airline was expecting from ASEAN member governments, Fernandes said: “I hope that (our new office and growth strategy) will spur ASEAN governments into further integration. For example, in Europe there is one open sky, one aviation authority to regulate jobs...”

(TTG Asia e-Daily, June 14, 2012).

This move from Air Asia will not just help the company but also it will bust up the Malaysian economy as what the Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib is doing today (9/9/12) in APEC to try bring more foreigners inside the country. This movement from Kamarudin Meranum and Tony Fernandes should be supported by the Malaysian people in the years coming.

AZMAN HASHIM DR M MAN OF THE YEAR

12th Richest People in Malaysia

Azman Hashim is one of the great people in Malaysia in term of business and entrepreneurship. Best known as Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Hashim. He is also listed as the 12^th richest person in Malaysia according to a website TheRichestPeople.com in the year 2012. Tan Sri Azman is well known in the finance industry and is one of the big names in the Bumiputra committee in Malaysia. He is also the Chairman of AmBank Group and currently the Executive Chairman of Amcorp Group Berhad. The famous Charted Accountant is generating up to $785 million of assets.

BrandLaureate BestBrands Award 2011-2012 in Petaling Jaya

Recently, Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Hashim was awarded the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Man of the Year 2012 in the BrandLaureate BestBrands Award 2011-2012 in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur. This award was given based on his success and significant contribution to the development of the country as well as his contribution in making Ambank as one of the main financial institution in Malaysia.

He is the Chairman of AmBank Group

The contribution of Tan Sri Azman has lead Ambank Group into one of Malaysia’s premier financial services group with leading the like of market retail banking, commercial banking, investment banking and insurances. The company has also built in an Islamic banking system and funds management system services. The company has grown bigger and bigger every year with a wide range of innovative products and services introduce.

It was not that strange that this person who started his career in Perth, Australia was nominated as the Dr M man of the year award as he has also lead the Amcorp Group Berhad to a successful 2011 and 2012 years. The company is recently told to be investing in London with a £23 million property project in hand. Tan Sri Azman’s company was invited to join venture with other companies to set up a freehold property in London via wholly owned subsidiary. Amcorp Group is also told to have launched a new global sukuk fund called AmDynamic Sukuk1by primarily in Islamic bonds, both locally and globally. The Sukuk bonds is said to have made a three times higher returns compared with the conventional bonds which is more volatile and uncertain at times.     

Mark Zuckerberg in Trouble?

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has so far been unable to sell stock in the firm. It is estimated its plunging stock price has so far cost him $10bn

Everyone knows that the person in that picture is the founder of Facebook Inc the most well-known social media network in the world. And, everyone knows that that is also the CEO of Facebook Inc. Mark Zuckerberg is one of the youngest billionaires in the world and was kick out of school because a few problems. It appear to be that Mark is going to have the same story as our beloved late Steve Jobs (APPLE CEO) after his company’s stocks is not looking as good as before. He looks to be another brilliant guy that will be force to leave their own company after failing to discover the “wrong” in his business lately.

Dustin Moskovitz, one of five Facebook co-founders, has sold another 450,000 of his shares in the company

Remember one of Facebook co-founder, Dustin Moskovitz, he is making such selling process lately with his Facebook stocks. Daily Mail has eventually discovered that Dustin is busy selling out his Facebook stocks from August 17 until the latest August 29. It appears to be more than 450,000 stocks has successfully traded by him in only the month of August. It looks like Dustin has taken an early step to avoid making loss as what happen to Mark Zuckerberg where he lost more than $10 billion in a short period of time.

           Right now, the young billionaire must find a way out of this problem quickly as the company’s shares are decreasing more than 50% compared with its first IPO. Facebook is not making profit but vice versa. Mark’s credibility to bring back the company is in deep question because people believe that not everyone is Steve Jobs and sometime they can also be a “Jerry Yang”. In the Mark Zuckerberg situation, only time will tell but people predict that this smart young entrepreneur will find the solution even though that it does not seems to look like it’s going to happen. 

I believe that with the recent history with greatness surrounding it, this CEO of the largest social network media will find the right equation for the right problem his surrounded.    

Tun Mahathir Muhammad

If anyone is wondering who is this? let me share with you my local idol.

This is the 4th Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Muhammad. He is the reason that any of us can see sky-high buildings in this particular Asian country. This wonderful country was billed by his side when he was in charge. I would b harsh to say that it is all his work but, the ideas, vision and successful implementation made it all happen in such a quick succession.

Today, Tun Mahathir has been link with an offer to become an economic adviser of an Arabic country. He visited Yemen, an Arab country located in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, on Thursday to seek further clarification on Mohamed Salem's invitation for the Malaysian statesman to be his advisor, the Malaysian embassy in Sana'a said in a statement today. This shows the intelligent in economy interpretation and adjustment that Tun Mahathir has which is respected not just by local citizen but also globally. There is no wonder that Malaysia have achieved such success and economic growth in his years of conducting the country. Malaysia's achievements and transformation from an agro-based economy to a developed nation was one of the great works of Dr. Mahathir at that time as well. He transform lots of government links companies such as PETRONAS, Sime Darby, Telecom Malaysia (TM) and much more to global and successful companies.

As we all know that Yemen just went under a hard time after a civil war in their country that has cool down after sometimes few months before. So, they are looking forward to bring back the Arabic country back to their best and start generating income to give a more harmony life to their people. Yemen would need someone that has this experience of coming out from zero to hero style to guide them back where they belong or also beyond that if possible. From what I see, Yemen must bring home their smart people living overseas back to their beloved country and be a part of the reinforcement process. They have lost many of their doctors, engineers, architects, lawyers and also politician in that civil war as they fly over board to find shelter. It would be more meaningful if the local intelligent can serve their country in this time of circumstances and I feel there will be more tolerant, honour and sincere in making their duties. I also feel that Dr Mahathir will start with the financial system first and will move on towards the government sectors first before going for other things (technology, private sectors, etc...). As a Malaysian that is the early step that Tun Mahathir did in his time in charge. I really hope that Yemen could achieve big things with their new president, Mohamed Salem Basendowah and of course with Tun Dr Mahathir Muhammad at their side.