Tahir (Indonesian businessman)

Tahir
Member of Presidential Advisory Council of the Republic of Indonesia
Assumed office
13 December 2019
Serving with
List
PresidentJoko Widodo
Personal details
Born
Ang Tjoen Ming
翁俊民

(1952-03-26) 26 March 1952 (age 72)
Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
CitizenshipIndonesia
SpouseRosy Riady
ChildrenGrace Tahir
Jane Tahir
Victoria Tahir
Jonathan Tahir
Parent(s)Ang Boen Ing
Lie Tjien Lien
RelativesMochtar Riady
Alma materNanyang Technological University
Golden Gate University
OccupationBusinessman
Websitewww.mayapadagroup.com

Dato' Sri Tahir, born Ang Tjoen Ming (Chinese: 翁俊民; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ang Tsùn Bîn; born 26 March 1952)[1][2] is an Indonesian billionaire, and a banking and property magnate.[3] He is the founder of the Mayapada Group.[4] On 13 December 2019, President Joko Widodo appointed Tahir to the Presidential Advisory Council.

Early life and education

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Tahir was born in Surabaya, East Java, in 1952, in a slum area.[5] He was raised by his parents who made a living by constructing pedicabs, known as becak. In 1971, he graduated from Petra Kalianyar Christian High School in Surabaya.[2] Tahir wanted to be a medical doctor, but when his father fell sick and could not afford his medical school tuition, Tahir dropped out of college to focus on helping with his father's business.

He received a scholarship from Nanyang Technological Institute (now Nanyang Technological University) in Singapore, earning a Bachelor of Arts/Science. At the age of 35, he went to Golden Gate University in California and completed his Master's degree in financial education.

Business career

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During his studies in Singapore, Tahir started small trade business, buying merchandise from Singapore and selling it in Surabaya when he went home for vacation. This business was his introduction to import trading. In 1986, he established The Mayapada Group and expanded the business to many sectors including garments, finance, automobiles, health and media. During the 1997-98 Asian monetary crisis, Mayapada Bank survived even though many other banking corporations collapsed, because bank was not taking credit from international sources.[6]

Philanthropy

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In 2013, Tahir contributed more than US$100 million to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization that provides funding for efforts to fight major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, polio and malaria.[7][8]

Honours

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National

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Foreign

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References

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  1. ^ "Tahir". Forbes. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Dato' Sri DR. Tahir, MBA - Petra Kalianyar Christian Senior High School 1971 Alumnus". 15 May 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  3. ^ Birtles, Bill (22 October 2013). "Indonesian billionaire chips in to help Global Fund". Radio Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Bill Gates Foundation Comes to Indonesia to Join Fight against Diseases". Indonesia-Investments.com. Indonesia Investments. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  5. ^ Living Sacrifice, Alberthiene Endah (Author) Published, October 2015
  6. ^ "Menelusuri Kiprah Dato Sri Tahir di Pohon Bisnis Mayapada Group". Katadata.
  7. ^ "Dato' Sri Prof. Dr. Tahir: Being the son-in-law of Lippo Group founder". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Living Sacrifice". goodreads.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
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