KUALA LUMPUR: Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah has once again been recognised as one of Asia’s most influential philanthropists, earning a place on the Forbes Asia Heroes of Philanthropy list for the fifth time.
Cheah, who also founded and chairs the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF), was honoured for his enduring commitment to nation-building through accessible, high-quality education and structured, long-term philanthropy. He previously made the list in 2021, 2019, 2015 and 2009.
The annual Forbes list highlights 10 individuals and families across the Asia-Pacific region who have made substantial personal contributions to charitable causes over the past two years.
To date, JCF has awarded more than RM967 million in scholarships and grants to tens of thousands of students, many of them from underserved communities. The foundation is on track to surpass RM1 billion in cumulative disbursements by 2026.
In November 2025, Cheah pledged RM500 million over five years to create one of Malaysia’s largest education endowments, supporting academic excellence, world-class research and sustained innovation at Sunway University.
His structured approach to philanthropy – modelled after the traditions of global institutions such as Harvard University and the University of Cambridge – has also extended to public education. Cheah has committed more than RM57 million to build, upgrade and expand 10 public schools nationwide.
The foundation also endowed RM5 million to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to establish the Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Chair at its Faculty of Medicine.
“I have always believed that each and every one of us must have a higher purpose in life. For me, this higher calling is a commitment to giving back to society in a meaningful and impactful manner for the benefit and wellbeing of our future generations,” Cheah said.
“I strongly believe that it is the obligation of those who have done well financially to promote educational excellence in the country, because quality education lays the groundwork for a nation to shape the destiny of its people and society.”
Aligned with its full embrace of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs), the foundation is pledging an additional US$5 million to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN), on top of the US$20 million it has previously contributed, to help advance global sustainability efforts.
Beyond Malaysia, this year’s Forbes list also features notable philanthropists across the region, including Yu Renrong, the China-based billionaire and founder of OmniVision Integrated Circuits Group, who donated US$688 million in company shares to the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, and Robin Khuda, the Australian data centre entrepreneur, who contributed US$66 million to the University of Sydney to support a 20-year STEM programme for female students.
Solina Chau of Hong Kong gifted A$30 million to the University of New South Wales to build a women’s residential college for STEM scholars, while the Wee family of Singapore, whose foundation – alongside United Overseas Bank – donated US$86 million to Nanyang Technological University.
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