| Honorific Prefix: | Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr.Sir |
| Jeffrey Cheah | |
| Honorific Suffix: | PSM SPMP DPMS KBE AO |
| Birth Place: | Pusing, Kinta District, Perak |
| Education: | Footscray Institute of Technology |
| Occupation: | Entrepreneur |
| Known For: | Founder of the Sunway Group |
| Chairman of the Sunway Group | |
| Spouse: | Susan Cheah Seok Cheng |
| Children: | 3 |
| Father: | Cheah Fah |
| Cheah Fook Ling | |
| S: | 谢富年 |
| T: | 謝富年 |
| P: | Xiè Fùnián |
| Showflag: | h |
| H: | Qia3 Fu5 Ngien2 Chia Fook Yin |
| Poj: | Chiāh Hù Lî |
| J: | Ze6 Fu3 Lin4 |
Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling (Chinese: ; born 1945 or 1946) KBE is a Malaysian entrepreneur who is the founder and current chairman of the Sunway Group, a Malaysian conglomerate operating in 12 industries with core businesses in property and construction.[1] Cheah is also the founder of Sunway University and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.[2] [3] Through his foundation, Cheah has donated almost US$39 million to fund scholarships and educational causes since 2018.[4]
Jeffrey Cheah was born in Pusing, a small town in the Malaysian state of Perak. Cheah moved to Australia to pursue a business degree at Victoria University (then Footscray Institute of Technology) in Melbourne, and after graduating, returned to Malaysia to take a job as an accountant in a motor assembly plant. He soon left this employment, and in 1974, he started his own company, a small tin-mining company with a startup capital of RM100,000.[5] Today, Sunway Group is one of Malaysia's largest conglomerates.[6]
Cheah is the recipient of 12 honorary[7] doctorates, most of which in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards education.[8]
The Sunway Group grew from a gradual conglomeration of Jeffrey Cheah's business interests. At its heart is the 350ha development Bandar Sunway (Sunway City), a township in the Petaling district of the state of Selangor.
The development of Sunway City has won the township international awards, including recognition as Malaysia's first fully integrated green townshipby the Green Building Index (GBI) of Malaysia.[9] Sunway City (formerly known as Sunway Resort City) also received the Low Carbon City award from the Malaysian Institute of Planners for implementing low carbon initiatives within the township.[10]
In 1987, Jeffrey Cheah established Sunway College in Bandar Sunway as a private tertiary educational institute. Cheah partnered with Monash University in Melbourne, Australia in order to enable Malaysian students to pursue a preparatory year at Sunway College before being admitted to study at Monash. In 1997, the college proved financially viable, and Cheah transferred ownership to the Sunway Educational Trust Fund. In 1998, the Monash University Malaysia Campus was opened in Bandar Sunway, in partnership with the trust fund.[11] On 12 August 2004, the Minister for Education granted the institution the status of a university college.[12] In 2005 Monash University established the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences (JCSMHS). The school offers first and second degrees in several departments of medicine and psychology and is accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC).[13] In 2006, the Sultan of Selangor installed Jeffrey Cheah as Foundation Chancellor of the university college.[14]
In 2001, the Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF), the Selangor State Government and the Sunway Group, launched a joint initiative called the Safe City Initiative in order to reduce crime in the area. The initiative was deemed a success.[15] In recognition of Tan Sri Jeffrey's contribution in the field of social safety and security, he was appointed the Chairman of MCPF Selangor Chapter by the Minister of Unity, Culture, Arts & Heritage in Aug 2008.
On 8 March 1988, the Sultan of Selangor made Jeffrey Cheah a Knight Commander of the Crown of Selangor (ms|Dato' Paduka Mahkota Selangor, DPMS), which entitles its holder to the title Dato'.
In 1995, Jeffrey Cheah was made a Justice of the Peace (JP) by the Sultan of Terengganu. The appointment is purely honorary.
In April 1996, the Sultan of Perak, Jeffrey Cheah's home state, made him a Knight Grand Commander of the Crown of Perak (ms|Dato' Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak, SPMP), which entitles its holder to the title Dato' Seri.
On 1 June 1996, Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the 'King of Malaysia') awarded Cheah Commander of the Order of Loyalty of the Crown of Malaysia (ms|Panglima Setia Mahkota Malaysia, PSM), which entitles its holder to the title Tan Sri.[16]
On 10 July 2008, Jeffrey Cheah was made an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "service to Australia–Malaysia bilateral relations, particularly tertiary education through the development of collaborative student transfer programs and the establishment of a Monash University campus in Malaysia".[17]
In 2023 he was awarded an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) from the British Government for services to higher education, the National Health Service, and philanthropy.[18]
Jeffrey Cheah has been awarded the following ten honorary doctorates, by universities in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and Malaysia.
| Year | University | Award | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Victoria University, Australia | Doctor of the University | |
| 1994 | Flinders University, South Australia | Doctor of the University | |
| 1994 | University of Western Australia | Doctor of Education | |
| 1994 | Western Michigan University, United States | Doctor of Education | |
| 1995 | Monash University, Victoria, Australia | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1996 | Leicester University, United Kingdom | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1998 | Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom | Doctor of Education | |
| 2001 | Greenwich University, United Kingdom | Doctor of Business Administration | |
| 2013 | Lancaster University, United Kingdom | Doctor of Laws | |
| 2016 | University of Malaya, Malaysia | Doctor of Education |