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Regional director of China Overseas Petroleum Corp Ruby Khong and media tycoon Ananda Krishnan made up the four Malaysians who were chosen.
Liew set up S P Setia Foundation in 2000 which helped pay the school fees and basic essentials for 2,300 school children a year. It also provides medical financing aid to the disabled and poor besides organising community enrichment programs.
According to Forbes Asia, Liew’s charitable contributions totaled US$100,000 (about RM336,950) last year.
Yeoh, who has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his philanthropic works, does not disclose the amount he donated to charity each year, reported Forbes Asia.
However, it is known that he favors the Pride Foundation, which promotes breast cancer awareness and provides support to victims. His wife died of breast cancer.
The Heroes of Philanthropy list, which is running for the third year, features some of Asia Pacific’s prominent givers to society. Four leading philanthropists were chosen from each of the 12 markets in the region, making it a total of 48 being honored this year.
The 12 countries are Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Associate editor of Forbes Asia John Koppisch said in a statement on March 5 that it checks with foundations and other philanthropic groups around the region for recommendations and interesting philanthropic projects that are worth publicising. It also looked at who has donated the most money to charity.
“These aren't always the biggest givers. Instead we aim to highlight a varied group of generous people, some holdovers from last year but mostly new names who deserve recognition. By calling attention to these 48 we hope to encourage more giving,” he added.
Forbes Asia said it has tried to include mostly people who gave away their own money and not their companies’. “Sometimes philanthropists do both, and sometimes they own such a large share of their company that corporate giving is personal giving.”For more on the 48 philanthropists visit www.forbes.com/altruists.
