MALAYSIAN tycoon Tan Sri T. Ananda Krishnan has breathed his last at the age of 86. Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd which is the investment holding firm led by Ananda has confirmed his demise today (Nov 28).
“It is with great sadness that we announce the demise of our chairman, T. Ananda Krishnan, who passed away peacefully on Nov 28,” Free Malaysia Today cited the statement by Usaha Tegas.
“He has made significant contributions to nation-building and the corporate world, and his philanthropic initiatives have touched many lives. We humbly ask that the family’s wishes to mourn in private be respected.”
On April 15 this year, the Forbes magazine has ranked Ananda as the sixth richest Malaysian with a net worth of US$4.8 bil. Topping the list was Robert Kuok at US$11.5 bil.
Born in 1938 in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur and has his roots in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, A.K. as he is affably known had the tendency to shun public exposure and is known to maintain a low profile for a person of his stature.
A Harvard Business School alumnus, Ananda made most of his wealth in the 1980s and 1990s which explains his close association with 99-year-old twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Ananda’s holdings include Malaysia’s second-largest mobile operator, Maxis Bhd , pay-television company Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd and oilfield services provider Bumi Armada Bhd.
A Buddhist by faith, Ananda has three children – two daughters and a son. His only son, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo is a Theravada Buddhist monk.
In January 2015, Ananda and the Usaha Tegas Group launched the Yu Cai Foundation (YCF) which provides student scholarships for Mandarin-based schools and grants to educational institutions which promote the study of vernacular languages, especially Mandarin and English. – Nov 28, 2024
Main image credit: Variety 500
