Azman Hashim

Tan Sri Dato' Seri Azman bin Hashim (born 17 July 1939)^[1] is a Malaysian businessman and investor who is one of the richest people in Malaysia. His net worth was estimated by Forbes to be US$660 million in 2024.^[2]

Azman bin Hashim was born on 17 July 1939 in Kuala Lumpur into a family of 13 siblings^[3][4] and spent his childhood in Kampung Baru.^{[citation needed]} His mother, Zabedah Shahid,^[5] was a schoolteacher who later became headmistress of the Kampung Baru Girls' School, and his father was a technician.^[6] Azman's grandmother was from Imabari, Ehime, Japan.^[7] He attended the Malay Boys' School in Setapak and the Methodist Boys' School in Sentul.^[1] In 1954, at age 15, he sat for the Senior Cambridge Examination and obtained First Class marks.^[3][6] He became a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Secretary before the age of 21.^[4]

Azman's career began in Perth, where he worked at Chartered Accountants Messrs O.L. Haines & Co from 1955 to 1960 on a Colombo Plan scholarship.^[4][3][6] Upon his return to Malaysia in 1960, he spent four years at Bank Negara Malaysia before leaving to start his own chartered accountancy firm, Azman & Co., which later became Azman Wang Salleh & Co.^[3][4] He became a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in 1960,^[4] and later the Institute of Bankers, Malaysia, the Institute of Directors, Malaysia and the Malaysian Institute of Management.^[4][3] He joined Maybank in 1966 as its non-executive director, then served as executive director from 1971 to 1980.^[8][3][6] He was Executive Chairman of Kwong Yik Bank Berhad from 1980 and 1982.^[3]

Azman purchased the AmBank Group (AMMB), then called the Arab-Malaysian Merchant Bank, in 1982.^[6][9][10] He oversaw the company during the Malaysian economic crisis in 1980; the 1997 Asian financial crisis, during which the bank was nearly folded into Affin Bank in an effort by the government to consolidate banks; and the 2008 financial crisis.^[8][11][12] In 2017, he began to transition out of his roles of Chairman and Director in six companies within AmBank Group: AmBank, AmInvestment Bank, AmMetLife Takaful, AmBank Islamic, AmMetLife Insurance, and AmGeneral Insurance.^[13] He was Chairman of AmBank Group from 1991 to 2019.^{[3][14][6][15]} After fully retiring from AMMB in 2022, he remained in his role of Chairman for the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers,^[9][16][11] Asian Banking School, Financial Industry Collective Outreach, Malaysia South-South Corp, Malaysia-Japan Economic Association, Perdana Leadership Foundation, Malaysia South-South Association, and University of Technology Malaysia's Business School Advisory Council, and as Chairman Emeritus of the Pacific Basin Economic Council.^[16][11] He also continued to serve as Chairman Emeritus and honorary advisor on AmBank's board.^[12]

Over the course of his career, he has held roles as Chairman of the Asian Institute of Finance's board of directors,^[17] Japan-Malaysia Economic Association (MAJECA),^[18] Malaysian Investment Banking Association, National Productivity Corporation, and Institute of Bankers Malaysia. He has also served as president of the Malaysia South-South Corporation, Malaysia-Japan Economic Association, and Friends of Prisons Association. In 2015, he was an existing member of the National Economic Consultative Council II, APEC Business Advisory Council, Malaysia-British Business Council, and the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance.^[4] He is also Pro Chancellor of Open University Malaysia.^[19]

Awards given to Azman throughout his career include: Asia's Banker of the Year (FinanceAsia, 1985);^[3][20] ASEAN Businessman of the Year (ASEAN Business Forum, 1993); Manager of the Year (Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Malaysia, 1995); Grand Entrepreneurial Award (Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce, 1996); Menteri Besar Grand Entrepreneurial Award (Selangor Chamber of Commerce, 1997); Academy Values for Life Excellence for his humanitarian contributions (2004);^[3][1] and the Lifetime Achievement Award (Islamic Business and Finance Awards, 2009).^[21][3]

The Ace Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur and University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) both have auditoriums named after him.^[22][23] In 2018, after two years of RM5 million in donations to the school's endowment fund, UTM officially named its banking school the Azman Hashim International Business School.^[24] UTM's campus also has a Azman Hashim Stadium.^[25] In 2019, the Open University Malaysia established the Azman Hashim Chair in E-Learning.^[26] In 2020, he donated a Japanese garden, Miyakubo Hashim (橋夢) Park, to Imabari, Ehime, Japan, where his grandmother was born.^[7] In 2023, a RM13.9 million sports facility, the Azman Hashim Community Sports Centre, opened in Sibu Jaya.^[27]

• Malaysia:
  • Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (1988)^[20]
  • Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (JMN) (1984)^[20]
  • Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (1972)^[20]
• Negeri Sembilan:
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Loyalty to Tuanku Muhriz (SSTM) – Dato' Seri (2010)^[28]
• Selangor:
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) – Dato' (1980)^[29][20]

• Australia:
  • Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) (2008)^[30]
• Japan:
  • Third Class of the Order of the Rising Sun (1987)^[31]

• Universiti Utara Malaysia: Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy (1985)^[32]
• National University of Malaysia: Honorary Degree in Business Administration (2004)^[32]
• University of Malaya: Honorary Doctorate in Management (2013)^[32]
• International Islamic University Malaysia: Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy in Finance (2013)
• Universiti Sains Malaysia: Honorary Doctorate in Management (2016)
• University of Technology Malaysia: Honorary Doctorate in Management Leadership (2017)^[32]

Azman married Tunku Arishah Tunku Maamor on 3 March 1963 and has two sons and three daughters. One of his daughters, Shazrina, is a fashion designer and former vocalist.^[6][33] His son Shahman was made chairman of RCE Capital in 2022 and his daughter Shalina is Chairman at Amcorp Properties.^[34] Azman is involved in the charitable organizations Malaysian Liver Foundation, Better Malaysia Foundation, and AmGroup Foundation.^[4]

His official biography, The Entrepreneurship Banker by Datuk Dr Paddy Bowie, was released in 2015.^[35]