ASIA’S 2017 Heros of Philanthropy

Each year since 2008, we’ve scoured the Asia-Pacific region for our list of top philanthropists. We look for men and women who made news with their altruism over the past year, and we also seek to spotlight people who have compiled a record of notable contributions over the years.

The members of this year’s honor roll pursued causes from launching a food bank in Singapore and training burn victims to be bakers in India to establishing a school for gifted children in Indonesia and training government officials in leadership and good governance in the Philippines. For the first time, philanthropists from Myanmar and Vietnam make the list.

The goal is to pick only true philanthropists–people who are giving their own money, not their company’s (unless they own most of the company), because we don’t consider donating shareholder funds as charity. And we also don’t list people who work in philanthropy solely as foundation heads, volunteers or fundraisers. We want to focus on the people supplying the financing and sketching the broad vision. If our effort in compiling this roster encourages more people to support worthy causes, then we’ll consider it a good deed.

AUSTRALIA

– Len Ainsworth, 94, Founder & Executive Chairman, Ainsworth Game Technology

– Andrew Forrest, 55, Founder & Chairman, Fortescue Metals Group

– Graham Tuckwell, 60, Founder & Chairman, ETF Securities

 

CHINA

– Charles Chen, 45, Cofounder, Tencent

– Chen Tianqiao, 44, Chrissy Luo, 41, Founder, Chairman & Ceo/Vice Chairman, Shanda Group

– He Qiaonv, 51, Founder & Chairman, Orient Landscape Investment Holding

– Hoi Kin Hong, 64, Founder & Chairman, Powerlong Group

– Yao Ming, 36, Former Basketball Star

 

HONG KONG

– Adrian Cheng, 37, Executive Vice Chairman, New World Development

– Michelle Ong, 60, Owner, Carnet Jewelry

– Neil Shen, 49, Founding Partner, Sequoia China

 

INDIA

– Sanjeev Bikhchandani, 53, Founder & Executive Vice Chairman, Info Edge (India)

– Subhash Chandra, 66, Chairman, Essel Group

– Sanjay Lalbhai, 62, Chairman & Managing Director, Arvind

– Anand Mahindra, 62, Chairman, Mahindra Group

– Muthalampet Mahadevan, 62, Chairman, Oriental Cuisines

– Rajiv Mehta, 56, Managing Director, Surat Diamond Jewellery

 

INDONESIA

– Rikrik Rizkiyana, 46, Senior Partner, Assegaf Hamzah & Partners Law Firm

– Harry Susilo, 77, Founder & Chairman, Sekar Group

– Tahir, 65, Founder & Chairman, The Mayapada Group

 

JAPAN

– Shigenobu Nagamori, 72, Founder & CEO, Nidec

– Akio Nitori, 73, CEO, Nitori Holdings

– Yukiyoshi Watanabe, 53, Founder & CEO, Isfnet

 

MALAYSIA

– Lim Wee Chai, 59, Executive Chairman & Founder, Top Glove Corp.

– Tan Kai Hee, 80, Executive Chairman, Hai-OEnterprise

 

MYANMAR

Ken Tun, 43, Founder & CEO, Parami Energy Group

Donated more than $1 million for rural development, reforestation and education over the past few years. At least 300,000 trees have been planted out of a goal of 500,000. A special interest is the country’s 1,000-year-old system of Baka (monastery) schools that today educate more than 300,000 poor children of all faiths in 1,600 schools. He helped organize three conferences of Baka teachers and leaders; the one in May created the Sustainable Baka School Association to promote a child-centered approach to teaching. Also this year he founded the PyninYawDaya (“Ray of Education”) Foundation to develop social enterprises that will support Baka schools and their graduates.

 

THE PHILIPPINES

– Nanette Medved-Po, 46, Founder, Chairman & President, Generation Hope & Friends Of Hope

– David Zuellig, 60, Daniel Zuellig, 56, Trustees, Zuellig Family Foundation

 

SINGAPORE

– Albert Hong, 82, Pioneering Architect & Businessman

– John Lim, 61, Cofounder, Ara Asset Management

– Nichol Ng, 39, Nicholas Ng, 37, Managing Directors, Foodxervices

 

SOUTH KOREA

– Kim Jeong-Ho, 50, Cofounder, Naver

– Kwon Oh-Seob, 57, Founder & Chairman, L&P Cosmetics

– Lee Young-Lim, 76, Founder & Director, Younglim Oriental Medicine Hospital

 

TAIWAN

– Chang Hui-mei, 44, Pop Singer

– Chuang Yung-Shun, 65, Chairman, Aaeon Technology & Onyx Healthcare

– Lin Yu-Ling, 80, Chairman, Hung Tai Group

 

THAILAND

– Keeree Kanjanapas, 66, Founder & Chairman, Bts Group Holdings

– Thongma Vijitpongpun, 59, Founder, Pruksa Holding

 

VIETNAM

– Pham Nhat Vuong, 48, Chairman, Vingroup

 

Reporting by Shu-Ching Jean Chen, Chen May Yee, Grace Chung, Susan J. Cunningham, Sunshine Lichauco de Leon, Rebecca Feng, Ron Gluckman, Jane Ho, Joyce Huang, Neerja Pawha Jetley, Naazneen Karmali, Kim Hee-Joung, Lan Anh Nguyen, Jane A. Peterson, Anuradha Raghunathan, Lucinda Schmidt, James Simms, Jessica Tan, Katherine Taylor

 

Source: Forbes (By John Koppisch ,  Forbes Staff   |   28 June 2017 )