Monday, December 14, 2009
Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan (Tamil: த. ஆனந்தகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1938) is a Malaysian businessman and philanthropist of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. Nicknamed TAK, he is currently[update] estimated to have a net worth of US$7.4 billion according to Forbes' latest annual list of billionaires, making him the third wealthiest man in Southeast Asia behind Robert Kuok and Ng Teng Fong and number 119 in the world. Ananda Krishnan is also the wealthiest Tamil in the world, ahead of Shiv Nadar, who is the 10th richest man in India.
Ananda Krishnan shuns public exposure and is known to maintain a low profile for a person of his stature.
Early life
Ananda Krishnan was born in 1938 in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur's "Little India" to Tamil parents of Sri Lankan origin. His family originates from Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
He studied at Vivekananda Tamil School in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur and furthered his studies at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur. Later, as a Colombo Plan scholar, he attended the University of Melbourne, Australia for his B.A. (Honours) degree majoring in political science. During that time he boarded in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn. Following that, Krishnan obtained a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard University, graduating in 1964.
Business
Krishnan’s first entrepreneurial venture was in oil trading. He set up Exoil Trading, which went on to purchase oil drilling concessions in various countries. Later, he moved into gambling (in Malaysia). In the early part of the 1990s, he started diversifying into the multimedia arena.
Currently, he has business interests in entertainment, satellite television (Astro), space (MEASAT), shipping (Bumi Armada), telecommunications (Maxis, Aircel). Through the privately owned Usaha Tegas Sdn. Bhd., he owns stakes in Tanjong Public Limited Company, an investment holding company with subsidiaries involved in Power Generation (Powertek), Gaming (Pan Malaysian Pools), Leisure (Tropical Island and Tanjong Golden Village (TGV)) and Property Investment (Menara Maxis).
Multimedia dealings
He first came to prominence by helping to organize the Live Aid concert with Bob Geldof in the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he began building a multimedia empire that now includes two telecommunication companies - Maxis Communications and MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems - and has three communication satellites circumnavigating the earth.
He also effected the purchase of 46% of Maxis Communications, the country's largest cellular phone company, from British Telecom and AT&T for $680 million - raising his stake to 70%. Maxis has more than eight million subscribers, with around 40% market share in Malaysia. Recently, Maxis has acquired Aircel, Tamil Nadu's largest cellular phone company and has plans to expand to rest of India. Maxis is also under negotiation to buy over and expand an Indonesian cellular phone company.
Ananda Krishnan shuns public exposure and is known to maintain a low profile for a person of his stature.
Early life
Ananda Krishnan was born in 1938 in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur's "Little India" to Tamil parents of Sri Lankan origin. His family originates from Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
He studied at Vivekananda Tamil School in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur and furthered his studies at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur. Later, as a Colombo Plan scholar, he attended the University of Melbourne, Australia for his B.A. (Honours) degree majoring in political science. During that time he boarded in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn. Following that, Krishnan obtained a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard University, graduating in 1964.
Business
Krishnan’s first entrepreneurial venture was in oil trading. He set up Exoil Trading, which went on to purchase oil drilling concessions in various countries. Later, he moved into gambling (in Malaysia). In the early part of the 1990s, he started diversifying into the multimedia arena.
Currently, he has business interests in entertainment, satellite television (Astro), space (MEASAT), shipping (Bumi Armada), telecommunications (Maxis, Aircel). Through the privately owned Usaha Tegas Sdn. Bhd., he owns stakes in Tanjong Public Limited Company, an investment holding company with subsidiaries involved in Power Generation (Powertek), Gaming (Pan Malaysian Pools), Leisure (Tropical Island and Tanjong Golden Village (TGV)) and Property Investment (Menara Maxis).
Multimedia dealings
He first came to prominence by helping to organize the Live Aid concert with Bob Geldof in the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he began building a multimedia empire that now includes two telecommunication companies - Maxis Communications and MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems - and has three communication satellites circumnavigating the earth.
He also effected the purchase of 46% of Maxis Communications, the country's largest cellular phone company, from British Telecom and AT&T for $680 million - raising his stake to 70%. Maxis has more than eight million subscribers, with around 40% market share in Malaysia. Recently, Maxis has acquired Aircel, Tamil Nadu's largest cellular phone company and has plans to expand to rest of India. Maxis is also under negotiation to buy over and expand an Indonesian cellular phone company.
In an agreement between Astro and India's Sun Network, Ananda plans to produce TV channels which cater to the Indian market, especially Tamil diaspora in countries such as US and Europe. Ananda also plans to offer TV services featuring Web-based interactivity.
Ananda Krishnan owns stakes in TVB.com and the Shaw Brothers movie archives.
