Biography of Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary

Syed Mokhtar Albukhary is a Malaysian businessman,

entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder of the
Albukhary Foundation, an international non-profit charity
organization that focuses on social development. Wikipedia
Born: 1951, Alor Setar
Net worth: 1.85 billion USD (2017) Forbes
Spouse: Zarah Al-Bukhary
Parents: Sharifah Rokiah Syed Mohamed Rahmat
Siblings: Syed Azmin Mohd Nursin

Early life[edit]
Syed Mokhtar Albukhary was born on the 12th of December 1951,
the third child of Syed Nor and Sharifah Rokiah in Kampung Hutan
Keriang, Alor Setar Kedah. His family traces its roots to Central
Asia.[2]
In 1961, Syed Mokhtar moved to Johor Bahru where he spent the
next 6 years before returning to Alor Setar where he attended St. Michaels Institution. While still
schooling, he got involved in his father’s cattle business to help him. This would mark Syed
Mokhtar’s first involvement in business.[2]
Not long after, an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease collapsed his father’s cattle business. This
led to Syed Mokhtar having to abandon his studies a few months short of completing his Secondary
5 as his family could not afford to pay for his examination fees.[2]
With money saved from his involvement in his father’s cattle business, Syed Mokhtar began
venturing into business on his own.[2]

Career[edit]
Today, the Albukhary Group of Companies is a diversified Business Group consisting of DRB-
Hicom, MMC and Tradewinds.[1][2]

Philanthropy[edit]
In his biography, Syed Mokhtar stated that his philanthropic work began in earnest in 1976 when he
pledged half of his salary to 15 under privileged families and the other half to his mother and
siblings. 20 years later In 1996, he founded the Albukhary Foundation and remains to be its primary
benefactor.[2]
The Albukhary Foundation
The Albukhary Foundation is an international non-profit charitable organization headquartered in
Malaysia which was founded on the Islamic values of faith (Taqwa) and compassion (Ehsan).
Although founded on Islamic values, the foundation does not discriminate on the grounds of race,
nationality, ethnic origin and religion.[3]
Albukhary International University (AiU)
The Albukhary International University was founded in 2010 and is located within the Sharifah
Rokiah Centre of Excellence. The University is housed within a purpose built campus and is spread
over 30 hectares in Alor Setar.[3]
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia
The museum was founded in 1998 and is located within Kuala Lumpur’s Lake Gardens. It houses
more than ten thousand artefacts from across the Muslim world, as well as a library of Islamic art
books. The museum has a total of 12 Galleries.[4]
The museum has won a number of domestic and international awards and is one of the most visited
museums in Malaysia.[5][6]
Albukhary Scholarship Program
Albukhary Scholarship program supports economically disadvantaged students worldwide. To date,
over 1,000 scholars from more than 50 countries have successfully completed their studies at top
Malaysian private and public universities.[3]