Lee Shin Cheng
{{Short description|Malaysian businessman (1939–2019)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{family name hatnote|Lee|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato'
| image =
| caption = Lee Shin Cheng during his interview
| name = Lee Shin Cheng
{{nobold|李深靜}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1939|6|3|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|6|1|1939|6|3|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| citizenship = Malaysian
}}{{Chinese|first=t|s={{linktext|李|深|静}}|t={{linktext|李|深|靜}}|poj=Lí Chhim-chēng|tl=Lí Tshim-tsīng|j=Lei5 Sam1 Zing6|p=Li Shēnjìng}}
Lee Shin Cheng (3 June 1939{{snd}}1 June 2019){{Cite web|url=https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/158580|title=IOI Group founder Lee Shin Cheng dies | The Malaysian Insight|website=www.themalaysianinsight.com|access-date=2 June 2019}} was a Malaysian business magnate, investor, and philanthropist.[https://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/84/malaysia-billionaires-12_Lee-Shin-Cheng_HZCA.html Forbes 2012 #4 Lee Shin Cheng]
Lee Shin Cheng headed IOI Corporation Berhad, better known as IOI Group, as its executive chairman. IOI is a conglomerate managing oil palm plantations, producing specialty fats and oleochemicals, and is developing properties in Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, and Europe {{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}. The IOI refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands is the largest palm oil refinery in Europe. IOI's oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia produce palm oil and palm kernel oil. These oils are made into specialty oils, metallic stearates and fats that are used in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and food additives. IOI Group is a leading real estate developer in Malaysia. Projects include townships, shopping malls, condominiums, office towers, and resorts{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}.
Early life
Lee grew up northeast of Kuala Lumpur on a rubber plantation, where his father ran a small Chinese food shop. He left school at the age of 11 to help support his family, selling ice cream on a bicycle for four years before returning to finish high school. At the age of 22, he sought work with the Dunlop Estate—a European-owned oil palm plantation company—for a supervisory job, but was turned down as he did not speak English fluently. He went on to get a field supervisor's job with at another palm oil company.{{Citation needed|date=September 2016}}
Twenty years later, Lee bought Dunlop Estate. In 2008, he recalled the happiest day of his life in an interview with the New Straits Times, saying, "My happiest day was in 1989 when I bought Dunlop Estate from Multi-Purpose Holdings Bhd. This was because during the late 1960s, I had applied for a job at Dunlop Estate but they did not employ me because I was not adequately qualified. If they had employed me, I would probably not have owned the entire asset of Dunlop Estate today. This purchase marked a significant milestone in my life".{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
Tree talker
Lee adopted a hands-on managerial style and focused on maximizing palm oil yields.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/05/18/ioi-groups-tan-sri-lee-shin-cheng-is-bullish-on-palm-oils-propects/|title=IOI Group's Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng is bullish on palm oil's propects. {{!}} The Star Online|website=www.thestar.com.my|access-date=2020-02-12}} Lee's walkabouts on IOI's 152,000 hectares of oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia earned him the "tree talker" moniker among journalists, rival plantation companies, and bankers in Malaysia.{{Cite web|url=http://asiaone.co.in/lee-shin-cheng/|title=Asiaone magazine|last=AsiaOne|date=2018-06-18|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-12}}{{Better source needed|date=February 2020}}
At an awards reception speech in July 2009, Lee remarked on his moniker, saying, "I am always quoted as talking to the trees, so it looks like I have to continue talking to the trees to get another award".{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}
Family
Lee has two sons and four daughters. All were trained as lawyers. Lee and his family's control of IOI is held via Progressive Holdings Sdn Bhd. Although all six of Lee's children work in the company holding managerial positions, sons Dato' Lee Yeow Chor and Lee Yeow Seng are more prominent by virtue of their presence on IOI's board of directors.{{Citation needed|date=September 2016}}
His youngest son Lee Yeow Seng married Yeo Bee Yin, the Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change on 11 March 2019.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/11/yeo-bee-yin-ties-the-knot-with-property-ceo/|title=Yeo Bee Yin ties the knot with property CEO|publisher=The Star Online|work=Sin Chew Daily|date=11 March 2019|access-date=11 March 2019}}
Financial worth
In 2009, Lee was reported to be Malaysia's third richest person[https://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/84/malaysia-09_Lee-Shin-Cheng_HZCA.html Malaysia's 40 Richest] Forbes Asia, 27 May 2009 and the world's 234th richest person.[https://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/10/billionaires-2009-richest-people_Lee-Shin-Cheng_HZCA.html The World's Billionaires 2009] Forbes, 27 May 2009 His net worth was then reported to be US$3.2 billion by Forbes.
In 2019, his position dropped to the fifth spot on the list, as his wealth fell by US$200 million to US$5.4 billion (RM22 billion).{{Cite news|url=https://www.asiaone.com/malaysia/kuok-still-malaysias-richest-despite-27-billion-fall-wealth-forbes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330093553/https://www.asiaone.com/malaysia/kuok-still-malaysias-richest-despite-27-billion-fall-wealth-forbes|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 March 2019|title=Kuok still Malaysia's richest despite $2.7 billion fall in wealth: Forbes|publisher=AsiaOne|author=THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK |date=14 March 2019|access-date=30 March 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/lee-shin-cheng/|title=Lee Shin Cheng|website=Forbes|access-date=2 June 2019}}
Social contributions
Lee was given the FIABCI Malaysia Property Man of the Year award in 2001.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2006/08/21/all-eyes-on-new-property-man|title=All eyes on new Property Man {{!}} The Star Online|website=www.thestar.com.my|access-date=2020-02-12}} In February 2002, he was conferred an honorary doctorate degree in agriculture by Universiti Putra Malaysia in recognition of his contributions to the palm oil industry.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/03/a-planter-extraordinaire|title='A planter extraordinaire' {{!}} The Star Online|website=www.thestar.com.my|access-date=2020-02-12}}
Lee served as a board member of Universiti Putra Malaysia, an adviser to the KL & Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a council member of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA), a member of the Malaysia-China Business Council, the honorary president of the Association of Eng Choon Societies of Malaysia, and the Federation of Hokkien Association of Malaysia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anismuslimin/2019/06/03/malaysian-tycoon-lee-shin-cheng-dies-at-79/|title=Malaysian Tycoon Lee Shin Cheng Dies At 79|last=Muslimin|first=Anis Shakirah Mohd|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2020-02-12}}
Since 1998, Lee has provided scholarships and educational grants to students via [http://www.malaysia-scholarship.com/ylee.html IOI Foundation (formerly known as Yayasan Tan Sri Dato’ Lee Shin Cheng)].{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2012/12/04/foundation-gives-out-scholarships-and-grants-to-25|title=Foundation gives out scholarships and grants to 25 {{!}} The Star Online|website=www.thestar.com.my|access-date=2020-02-12}}
Lee has contributed RM27.5 million in building a school in Puchong, which changed its name to "SJKC Shin Cheng (Harcroft) in August 2016.{{Cite web |title=School's growth a success story - Nation | The Star Online |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/02/13/schools-growth-a-success-story/ |access-date=2 June 2019 |website=www.thestar.com.my}}
Death
Honours
=Honours of Malaysia=
- {{flagu|Malaysia}} :
- 50px Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (1993){{Cite web|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp/|title=Bahagian Istiadat dan Urusetia Persidangan Antarabangsa|website=www.istiadat.gov.my|access-date=2 June 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.ioigroup.com/ IOI Group official website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Shin Cheng}}
Category:Malaysian people of Chinese descent
Category:Malaysian people of Hokkien descent
Category:Malaysian billionaires
Category:Malaysian chief executives
Category:Malaysian chairpersons of corporations
Category:Palm oil production in Malaysia
Category:Palm oil production in Indonesia
Category:Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia