KUALA LUMPUR: Public Bank Bhd’s founder and chairman Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow (pic) has been honoured with three awards from Yazhou Zhoukan, The Asset and Asia Pacific Brands Foundation (APBF) for his contributions and achievements in the banking arena.
Yazhou Zhoukan, a Chinese language international affairs magazine, honoured Teh with the Yazhou Zhoukan Global Chinese Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award 2015; Finance and banking magazine The Asset presented The Asset Banker Extraordinaire 2015 Award; while APBF presented him with the BrandLaureate ICON of ICONS — The King of Banking Award.
The awards were presented to him on his 85th birthday last Saturday.
“Recognition from such prestigious publications are always an honour. This is all the more so when they are well acclaimed for their noble efforts in paying tribute to and celebrating entrepreneurial acheivements which contribute towards the fostering of business excellence. Indeed, I am elated by the triple whammy,” Teh said in a statement yesterday.
Yazhou Zhoukan editor-in-chief Yau Lop Poon described Teh as a legend in the global Chinese business community that opened up a new chapter of banking business, changing the power landscape in the banking community that used to be dominated by the Westerners.
The Asset’s editor-in-chief Daniel Yu said Teh has produced sustained profitability for Public Bank, which he termed “a world-class institution that embodies excellence in customer service, prudence in risk management and exceptional corporate governance”.
BrandLaureate president Dr K K Johan complimented Teh for his efforts in the past 49 years in growing Public Bank into an enviable banking institution with impressive yearly growths.
“This award is exclusively conferred to only one individual for the year. The recipient must possess extraordinary attributes, one who exudes dynamism, personifies wisdom and integrity, and is admired and respected by his country and the world,” he said.
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 18, 2015.