Open Risk Taker - Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah

Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah is the CEO of Sunway Group, he was born in Pusing, Perak and had six siblings. He received his higher education from Footscray Institute of Technology, now known as the University of Technoogy Victoria, Australia. After successfully completing his studies, he began his career as an Accountant in a motor assembly plant.

Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah started to venture into entrepreneurship and became the founder and leader of the Sunway Group. In terms of its history, the Group managed to take three periods of economic recession successfully. In 1974, he conducted the tin mining business through Sungei Way company with a paid up capital of RM100,000. In 1977, the recession hit the country, but the company can survive. After several years of business, tin has been mined out and he has turned to sand mining and quarrying. The favorable performance makes it his business successfully listed on the main board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1984 as Sunway Holdings Berhad.

In 1985, Malaysia was hit by the economic downturn and in the 1980s, felt the impact of economic recession is more obvious. By the year 1987, Sunway Holdings Berhad recorded a loss of nearly eliminate shareholders' funds. However, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah take some steps in order to survive. After the recession ended, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah began to take steps to spread risk and diversify its business undertakings. Sunway Holdings Berhad began to engage in property development, property investment, manufacturing, hospitality and entertainment related businesses. The results of diversification, he managed to establish Sunway City Berhad, Sunway Construction Berhad and Sunway Building Technology Berhad.

Then, there were the Asian economic crisis in 1997 in which Sunway Holdings Berhad also feel the pinch. In the face of the economic crisis, he has taken some measures risk by collecting all the workers Sunway Holdings Berhad and showed stability at the time of the company's accounts. He wanted to get the full support of every employee to ensure that the companies pay salaries on time. The next action is to reduce the cost of selling unneeded equipment and close a business that does not bring results. Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah has reduced his salary and changing lifestyles in order to reduce the force and wasteful luxurious way.

Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah has long aims to develop Bandar Sunway, but many are not confident in his ability to develop the former mine. With spirit and strong determination, he managed to develop Bandar Sunway in the vicinity of the mines and now Bandar Sunway was worth RM 2 billion and a city complete with amenities such as schools, hotels, resorts, shopping malls, hospitals, high-tech and superior residential area in the Klang Valley.

Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah looking for many business opportunities abroad such as Australia, Taiwan and India. At the same time he also entered into partnerships and joint ventures with other parties such as Singapore government investment company. Now, he is also the founder of the Institute of Asian Strategy and Leadership (ASLI), an institution set up to promote international trade and investment through a dialogue at the level.

Tan Sri Jefffrey Cheah is a person who likes to learn from mistakes. Apart from relying on the fact, he also did not forget to make use of intuition and use it in decision making. He also does not let emotions control him as he makes decisions based on reason, not emotion. Apart from risk taking attitude, he is also very high regard and trust in the ability and integrity was holding held to achieve success.