Jeffrey Cheah

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. Today, Sunway Group is one of Malaysia's largest conglomerates.

Cheah is the recipient of 12 honorary doctorates, most of which in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards education., including one from Lancaster University in 2013.

Educational investment

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. On 12 August 2004, the Minister for Education granted the institution the status of a university college. 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). In 2006, the Sultan of Selangor installed Jeffrey Cheah as Foundation Chancellor of the university college.

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. 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 August 2008.