T. Ananda Krishnan

Born:	1938 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Occupation:	CEO, Usaha Tegas Sdn. Bhd.
Net worth:	US$7.4 billion[1]

Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan (Tamil: த. ஆனந்தகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1938) is a Malaysian businessman and philanthropist. Nicknamed TAK, he is currently estimated to worth about US$7.4 billion^[1], making him the second wealthiest man in Southeast Asia (and world's 99th). He is a regular feature in Forbes' Billionaire list. Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ... Image File history File links Green_Arrow_Up. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Forbes magazine annually lists the worlds wealthiest individuals: The Worlds Billionaries. ...

Ananda Krishnan hates public exposure and is known to maintain a very low profile for a person of his stature. However, his hugely successful business activities always thrust him into the limelight and his name represents a huge business empire.

Early life

He was born in 1938 in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur's "Little India" to a Tamil immigrant family from Sri Lanka and is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent (Ceylonese/Jaffnese). Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Brickfields is a small to medium sized town and residential area (or administrative zone) just outside central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are an ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... see Sri Lankan Tamils ...

Ananda Krishnan studied at Vivekananda Tamil School in Kuala Lumpur and furthered his studies at Victoria Instituition, Kuala Lumpur. Later, he attended University of Melbourne, Australia for his B.A. (Honours) degree majoring in political science. Following that, Krishnan obtained a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard University, graduating in 1964. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Old Quad Building, formerly Old Law The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, and the oldest in Victoria. ... Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a tertiary degree in business management. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Business

Ananda Krishnan’s first entrepreneurial venture was in oil trading, setting up Exoil Trading, which went on to purchase oil drilling concessions in various countries. Later he moved into gambling (in Malaysia), stud farming (in Australia) and running a Hollywood cartoon studio. Soon, he diversified into a host of other business opportunities. In the early part of the 1990s, he started diversifying, in a big way, into the multimedia arena. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Currently, he has business interests in entertainment (Astro), space(3 Satellites) , oil, power, shipping, telecommunications (Maxis - Malaysia, Aircell - India), property and gaming (Pan Pools Malaysia). His companies operate in a most parts of the South East Asia. A quarter of his wealth comes from the gambling business (lottery, horse-racing wagering).He is also said to be behind the world's largest indoor Water Park in Tropical Islands,Germany with former Genting Group executive Colin Au.He is also pondering an online lottery venture in Russia. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Said to have an extraordinary entrepreneurial flair and far sighted, it was Ananda who sold former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on the idea of the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers, the world's second tallest building, which stake he has now sold off.^{[citation needed]} Mahathir bin Mohamad (born December 20, 1925 in Alor Star, Kedah) was the Prime Minister of Malaysia from July 16, 1981 to 2003. ... The Petronas Twin Towers (also known as the Petronas Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were once the worlds tallest buildings when measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural or architectural top. ... For many millennia the record holder for worlds tallest structure was clearly defined (see table below. ...

Fortune magazine, in a 2001 article, called him "Kuala Lumpur's Mr Big".

Multimedia dealings

He first came to prominence by helping to organize the Live Aid concert with Bob Geldof in the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he began building a multimedia empire that now includes two telecommunication companies - Maxis Communications and MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems - and has three communication satellites circumnavigating the earth. Maxis Communications Berhad is a mobile phone service provider based in Malaysia. ...

He also effected the purchase of 46% of Maxis Communications, the country's largest cellular phone company, from British Telecom and AT&T for $680 million - raising his stake to 70%. Maxis has more than eight million subscribers, with more than 40% market share in Malaysia. Recently, Maxis has acquired AirCel, Tamil Nadu's largest cellular phone company and has plans to expand to rest of India. Maxis is also under negotiation to buy over and expand an Indonesian cellular phone company.^{[citation needed]} Maxis Communications Berhad is a mobile phone service provider based in Malaysia. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

He is also the head of Astro All Asia Networks Plc, the only company currently providing a DIRECT to HOME TV satellite service in Malaysia. http://www.astroplc.com/05/ (accessed 18th August 2006). It currently broadcasts to Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Astro Logo Astro is a subscription-based multi-channel satellite TV service in Malaysia and also Brunei, the service is also available in some parts of Indonesia. ...

In an agreement between Astro and India's Sun Network, Ananda plans to produce TV channels which cater to the Indian market, especially Tamil diaspora in countries such as US and Europe. Ananda also plans to offer TV services featuring Web-based interactivity. Astro Logo Astro is a subscription-based multi-channel satellite TV service in Malaysia and also Brunei, the service is also available in some parts of Indonesia. ... Sun Network is a Rs 12000-crore Indian cable television network based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. ... The Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of the rest of India and Sri Lanka, or in other regions, particularly Malaysia, Singapore, the Middle East, Reunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and...

Ananda Krishnan owns stakes in TVB.com (the interactive arm of Hong Kong's main broadcaster) and the Shaw Brothers' movie archives, which holds more than 800 movie titles. He also operates a chain of TGV multiplex theatres.

Personal life

Ananda Krishnan has been called everything from a recluse to a humble, silent worker. Not much is known about him and his tightly guarded private life because he maintains such a low profile. He is said to be the brother of late-Singapore billionaire Eliyathamby.

He is known to be apolitical.^{[citation needed]} But he is also a close friend of both former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Mahathir's former arch-foe Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.^{[citation needed]} He brokered the peace deal and healed the political rift between them a few years ago.^{[citation needed]} Mahathir bin Mohamad (born December 20, 1925 in Alor Star, Kedah) was the Prime Minister of Malaysia from July 16, 1981 to 2003. ...

He is also known to be generous and donates to charities and temples as well as has established scholarships for the deserving. In 2005, newspapers reported that he had given away RM160 million to charities through his privately owned Usaha Tegas group of companies.Despite his wealth he still maintains and stays in his family's Minangkabau styled mansion in Kuala Lumpur.He was one of the earliest tycoon to own a Dassault Falcon private jet.

References

• Ananda Krishnan in LYCOS RETRIEVER

• Ananda Krishnan in BOI(Sri Lanka)