Corporate giant: ‘The Tree Whisperer’, the official biography of Tan Sri Dr Lee Shin Cheng, founder of IOI Group, was published recently, three years after his death. –YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
大将出版社
The Tree Whisperer – The official biography of Tan Sri Dr Lee Shin Cheng, founder of IOI Group
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RM78.00 MYR* · In stock · Brand: 大将出版社
Author: Lee Hoong Lian Published Date：2022/6 Language： English Number of pages: 448 pages ISBN：9789672949206
The Official Biography of Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng, founder of IOI Group
HE lived a frugal life despite his fortune of billions and had no interest in or knowledge of luxury brands. The late Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng was more comfortable in his simple shorts while at his sprawling palm oil estates. True to his nature, he even showed up at the office in the evenings in his modest attire. In fact, his shirts were often less than RM100 each and for 30 years, he carried a grey Samsonite briefcase bought in the 1980s. Yet, he had no qualms about contributing millions of ringgit towards Chinese education, especially to the development of the centuries-old old Kuen Cheng High School and Shin Cheng (Harcroft) Primary School. He also donated 30 million yuan (RM20mil) to Xiamen University Malaysia without hesitation. The Kuala Selangor born Lee dropped out of school twice – once while in primary and later during secondary level – and was denied jobs in rubber estates, run by the British then, because he couldn’t speak English fluently.
. Lee on his walkabout around his greenfield plantation in Sabah.
He was turned down for a job at an estate owned by the British company, Dunlop Estates, in the late 1960s, due to his inadequate academic qualifications.
But after making enough money about two decades later, he bought the holding company of the same estate that didn’t employ him.
Lee understood the importance of education and was determined that future generations of Malaysians would not be like him, having been born at a time of economic hardship.
Lee, the founder of IOI Group, died on June 1, 2019, just two days shy of his 80th birthday.
Three years on, his official biography (in English, no less) has finally been published and released early this month.
Most of his business friends, staff and associates are aware of his story, but this book will serve as a testimony to ordinary Malaysians in search of inspiration and useful lessons in tackling challenges.
At the tender age of 11, Shin Cheng left school to become an ice-cream seller, and in fact, was even too short to get onto the bicycle.
He tried his hands at everything, including starting off as a rubber estate cadet in Banting, Selangor, and later, a failed attempt as a pig farmer, petrol station dealer, property developer to finally, opening a whole new plantation frontier in Sabah and other parts of Malaysia.
Lee and Puan Sri Hoong tied the knot in 1963.
On the corporate front, Lee was ever the polite gentleman. But even gentlemen can be aggressive if the situation warrants it.
Two chapters have been devoted to the hostile takeover bid by Sime Darby Bhd to gain control of Palmco Holdings Bhd, an oleochemicals manufacturer in which IOI Corp was the single largest shareholder at the time.
Sime Darby had, in July 2001, made an unexpected conditional voluntary offer for all the shares – at RM4.35 apiece – in Palmco.
A few hours later, IOI Corp, which held a 32.1% stake in Palmco then, said it had no intention of accepting Sime Darby’s offer.
It was a dramatic business story as the media played up the fight between IOI and Sime Darby.
Within days, IOI Corp launched a takeover on Palmco by matching Sime Darby’s offer, forcing the latter to raise its asking price to RM4.60 per share.
Lee emerged the victor finally. The takeover saga ended in October after IOI Corp got hold of more than 50% stake in Palmco.
Lee never stopped working. In 2017, though, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. After several visits to the hospital for treatment, it was finally time for him to go home.
However, he arrived an hour later than expected.
“It turned out that he had asked his driver to make a stop at IOI City Mall before heading home.
“At that time, construction work for the mall’s second phase of expansion was already underway, and he wanted to look.
“Too weak to walk or stand, Shin Cheng could only remain in the car while he met with executives from different departments.
“They formed a neat circle around the car, taking turns to answer his questions and update him on the construction’s progress.”
Although Lee was a well-known public figure, he kept deferring writing a book because he was still energetic and wanted to do more in business and education before committing himself to a book. The decision to publish this biography was made by his family not long after his passing.
His biography is a page-turner because it’s well-written with in-depth research, especially on some of his corporate deals. The author, Angeline Lee Hoong Lian, is also a good storyteller and can hold her readers. The English translation was done by Michelle Tan Ching Wuen.
The Chinese version was released in January this year with the English version published in early July.
Certainly, this is a highly recommended book because it’s not just about Lee’s business success, but an inspirational journey about how a man, who had nothing, could reach the pinnacle of his career through his tenacity and enterprising spirit.
And yet, he remained humble and down to earth, preferring to be known for his contributions to education and helping the poor.
Lee was small in stature, but he was indisputably a giant in the Malaysian corporate world and will go down in history as a legend.
‘The Tree Whisperer’ is available for purchase at major bookstores or online at https://bit.ly/3y7X1vs..
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