Ananda & Kuok Richest Men in Malaysia

According to the latest Forbes ranking, Ananda Krishnan (Maxis, Astro) and Robert Kuok (Kuok Group, Shangri-La) are jointly the richest men in Malaysia at the moment.

Both Krishnan and Kuok are ranked at no 62 with an estimated net worth of US$7 billion each. In last year’s Malaysia list, Kuok sat at number one with Krishnan trailing a little bit behind.

Both had suffered losses in fortune in the past one year, but it was Kuok who felt the worse, losing almost US$3 billion while his rival Krishnan lost US$200 million.

The latest billionaire list saw Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, regained his spot as the world’s richest man. Last year, Gates was ranked 3rd behind investor Warren Buffet and Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu. Gates retired last year to focus his time on philanthropic work.

There are 6 Malaysians who made it to the 2009 billionaire’s list. Apart from Krishnan and Kuok, the other four are Lee Shin Cheng (IOI Group), Teh Hong Piow (Public Bank), Quek Leng Chan (Hong Leong) and Yeoh Tiong Lay (YTL Group).

A number of Malaysians who last year made it to the Forbes billionaire list fell off the chart this year. They include Lee Kim Hua & family (Genting), Vincent Tan (Berjaya Group), Mokhtar al-Bukhary (al-Bukhary Foundation) and Tiong Hiew King (Rimbunan Hijau).

Other posts you may want to read:

1. Top 10 Malaysia’s Richest People 2009
2. Malaysia’s Richest Men in 2008
3. Singapore’s Richest in 2008
4. Thailand’s Richest Man Not as Rich as Malaysia’s
5. Tan Sri Nasimuddin Amin (1955-2008)

Author's bio: Zul is the founder and principal contributor for the SKOR Career blog. He is the author of two books, The Malaysian Job Seeker's Dilemma and Buat Duit Tanpa Kerja Makan Gaji (How to Make Money Without a Job), available in major book stores nationwide. You can reach him at zulkiflimusa[at]gmail.com.