Zaw Zaw

Zaw Zaw was born in Yegyi Township, Ayeyarwady Region in 1967. He graduated from University of Yangon, majoring in Mathematics.

He started his career in the early 1990s when he was living in Japan, with a part-time job washing dishes in Ginza. In 1993, he founded Max Myanmar, initially as an exporter of used Japanese cars to his home country. He reportedly had close ties to key figures from the former ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, including Maung Aye and Than Shwe's grandson Nay Shwe Thway Aung. Through his relationships, Zaw Zaw has won concessions and import licenses, including most of the country's car and motorcycle imports licenses, as well as import and distribution licenses for fuel. In 1996, he went into construction sector, one year later, he started Hotel Business with Hotel Max Yangon. His company won several bids to construction projects in Naypyidaw, the country's new capital, including a stadium for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.

In 2009, Zaw Zaw suffered a major setback, when he was blacklisted by the United States, being one of around 200 individuals and companies that had sanctions against doing business with them imposed, under a Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List regulated by the U.S. Treasury. His attempt to enter the Singaporean stock market as an international businessman by bidding over Aussino Group Ltd. was not successful. Singaporean stock market regulators were concerned at this and rejected the bid in January 2013. Annual revenue of Max Myanmar Group was about US $500 million in the early 2010s. In 2010, he established the Ayeyarwady Foundation to provide funding for charity projects such as building schools and medical institutions.

He was delisted from SDN list by the US Treasury in 2016.

Zaw Zaw is an active philanthropist, and is involved in causes including healthcare, education, disaster response and youth development. In 2011, he constructed 550-bedded Yankin Children's Hospital worth Kyats 9 billion ($10 million) and transferred the hospital ownership to the Ministry of Health to be used as a tertiary paediatric hospital in Yangon as well as a teaching hospital of University of Medicine 2, Yangon.

On 12 February 2016, he donated funds to patients with heart disease for family health support.

In 2017, he donated Kyats 2.33 billion ($1.7 million) in Rakhine State through his Ayeyarwady Foundation. His foundation also provides free medical treatments to the under-privileged children in Yankin Children's Hospital.

He donated ten thousand balls to the Football for Schools Programme.

He consistently contributed for COVID-19. He supported MMK 100 millions worth medical aids for Waibagi Hospital and Yankin Children's Hospital and provided facility quarantines for more than 350 people. He also funded 500 Million MMK worth of Health Insurance Benefit for Caregivers and provided accommodation, daily meals and transportation services ferrying the doctors and nurses from Waibargi Hospital, who are facing the difficulties of commuting and lodgings.

He has contributed over US $2.2 million (3 billion kyats) to Myanmar's fight against the coronavirus outbreak since March.

In September 2020, Zaw Zaw has been built temporary treatment center for COVID-19 positive people which is built within seven days in Yangon through Ayeyarwady Foundation. Ministry of Health and Sports assigned a team of 100 healthcare professionals and volunteers to run the site and the foundation contributes the entire bill for construction, logistics, foods and medical supplies.