Vinod Sekhar
Dato' Vinod Balachandra Sekhar is a Malaysian businessman. He is the Chairman and Group Chief Executive of Petra Group, a Malaysian-based global conglomerate involved in industries such as sustainable technologies, modular building construction, (monorail) transit systems, food agriculture, infrastructure and engineering, media and entertainment, food and beverage, research and philanthropy. He is also the chairman of the Sekhar Foundation, based in Kuala Lumpur and the CEO of Green Rubber. He was named by "Forbes" magazine as Malaysia's 28th richest man in 2009. The title of Dato' was given to Sekhar at the age of 26 by  Yang di Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Ja'afar on his 71st birthday, who was at that time the 10th Yang di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. He was declared a bankrupt for failing to settle his debt totalling RM12.376 million with credit company Orix Credit Malaysia Sdn Bhd and 11 other companies. Personal life. Sekhar is the youngest son of Sukumari Nair and B.C. Sekhar, also known as Mr. Natural Rubber, who for a time provided significant inputs in the global natural rubber industry. He has three siblings. He is married to Winy Sekhar with whom he has two daughters , Petra and Tara. He has written numerous plays and even produced a book of poetry. "In the Mind's Eye", one of the plays that he has written was a success and was well received when it was produced in the United States, United Kingdom and in his homeland, Malaysia. He also enjoys playing golf with a 22 handicap. Education. He attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College He started a non-partisan multiracial youth organisation, Malaysiana Muda. He remained president for two terms. Businesses. Sekhar was only 21 when he started his business career with just US$50 when he  put up his own clothing company called Vincent Siefer Clothing Company that sold college embossed shirts to university students in different American universities. He later then sold his clothing company for US$5 million. In 1990, Sekhar formed Sekhar Tunku Imran (STI) Group together with his friend, Tunku Tan Sri Imran and penetrated various business ventures. Some of the most notable business deals that STI had was when it had a joint venture with Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, USA to produce the movie entitled Tarzan, The Epic Adventure. The Petra Group is a privately held company that is known  for Green Rubber Global, the company's key business which is a cost-effective process that can efficiently recycle used rubber. In 2019, it was reported that a Irish national, John Slattery sued Sekhar to claim the US$108,000 which he had paid the businessperson in 2017 as an investment into Green Rubber Sdn Bhd. In 2021, Petra Group claimed to have procured 200,000 Sinovac vaccines from China for free distribution. Malaysian government dismissed the claim and found no evidence for its basis. Sekhar is also an active supporter of different socio-civic organisations. He founded the Sekhar Foundation which  owns 60% of The Petra Group and acts as the philanthropic arm of the company by supporting various charitable organisations worldwide. The Sekhar Foundation has donated to a range of organisations that are working in the fields of education, poverty alleviation, and healthcare provision. Controversies. Declared bankrupt in 2005. In June 2005, the Kuala Lumpur High Court declared Sekhar a bankrupt due to failure of settling his debts with Orix Credit Malaysia Sdn Bhd and 11 other companies that totals RM 12.376 million. According to the application that the director-general of the Insolvency Department has submitted to KL's  High Court, Sekhar committed two offences when he was still in directorship of 25 companies and flew out of the country without gaining permission from the Director-General of Insolvency, under Section 38 of the Bankruptcy Act 1967. 2008 Bruce Willis lawsuit against Sekhar and Tunku Imran. In 2008, Bruce Willis sued the Petra Group and its chairman, Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar, to recoup US$900,000 (RM3.1mil) of the US$2mil the actor invested in a "green rubber" venture. In his complaint filed in the federal court in Los Angeles on 22 November 2008, Willis said Petra chief executive officer  Sekhar and Tunku Imran induced him to invest in a company that was developing a non-toxic and recyclable rubber in 2007, according to a Bloomberg report. Willis was told that former US vice president Al Gore and actor Mel Gibson had also invested in the company, Elastomer Technologies Ltd, the report said. Tunku Imran resigned from Petra Group claiming the lawsuit has caused personal embarrassment to him and his family, particularly to his royal parents. Later, Willis was reported to have resolved the dispute which he claimed caused by a series of miscommunications and false assurances when the remaining  amount US$900,000 was not returned. Clinton's visit to Kuala Lumpur. Former US President Clinton drew flak from the local and foreign business communities over his speech in Kuala Lumpur praising Sekhar. Investors in Britain and Malaysia say they disagree with the former president's glowing assessment of Sekhar, whose company has suffered a rough few weeks. Mr. Clinton spoke before nearly 3,000 people in Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of Sekhar, whose foundation paid Mr. Clinton $200,000. 2010 University of St Andrews's pledge. In 2010, Sekhar was reported to have failed to deliver the fund after  pledging to the University of St Andrews in Scotland to part fund its medical and sciences school. Yet two and a half years on, Sekhar has failed to hand over the fund and was facing jail in his home country for violating bankruptcy conditions. The school was forced to seek funding elsewhere. 2011 Insolvency department's application. In March 2011, Sekhar's lawyers proved to the court that the adjudication and receiving order documents pertaining to the bankruptcy were never served on Sekhar and that the signatures appearing on those documents were forged. The application to send Sekhar to prison  was subsequently dismissed by the High Court. 2019 warrant of arrest and discharge of bankruptcy. In September 2019, court bailiffs failed to execute an arrest warrant against Sekhar in relation to a civil forfeiture case filed by a Irish national, John Slattery. It was reported that Slattery sued Sekhar to claim the US$108,000 which he had paid the businessperson in 2017 as an investment into Green Rubber Sdn Bhd. The court made a judgment in default, awarding the amount to Slattery on June 11 following Sekhar's failure to appear before the court. Slattery's lawyers then secured a  writ of seizure from the court after Sekhar failed to respond to the court judgment, which led to the bailiff raiding his house on Aug 7 and seizing items estimated to be worth RM150,000. The bailiff went to Sekhar's house in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur and found that he was not at home. He later discharged his bankruptcy status in 2021. 2021 free vaccine distribution. Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said there was no record of any purchase by the Sekhar Foundation, an organisation linked to Sekhar which accused the government of snubbing its application to bring in 200,000 jabs to  be given out free. Sekhar’s Petra Group had claimed that it was able to procure 200,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine from China to be distributed for free. However, the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force disclosed that it found no evidence that the Sekhar Foundation has ordered, purchased or made inquiries with the Chinese manufacturer of Sinovac or the local distributor here. Money laundering and tax evasion raid. In November 2021, Malaysian enforcement agencies raided offices linked to Sekhar, in connection to a money laundering and tax evasion case. Officers from the National Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission  (MACC), Central Bank of Malaysia and the Inland Revenue Board conducted raids at the premises of Petra Group. 2022 Hungary ventilator deal. The Hungarian government bought Chinese ventilators from Sekhar for a total of HUF 178 billion (EUR 501 million) during the first wave of the coronavirus. The shipment of 6,258 machines arrived in Hungary via GR Technologies, a company owned by Sekhar. Two ventilator models were sold among 6,258 units bought by Budapest in a controversial deal approved by the European country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Senior  British doctors warned that ventilators of the "Shangrila" type that the United Kingdom bought from China were faulty, and could cause harm or even deaths if used in hospitals. There were problems with maintenance and oxygen supply as well as confusing instruction manuals, adding that the ventilators were built for use in ambulances, not hospitals. Achievements, Awards and Honours. Sekhar was also one of the first Malaysians to venture into the former Soviet Union after its breakup and was a part of the privatization of its second largest petrochemical plant. He was also the first Southeast Asian to own both  Formula 2000 and Formula 3 Championship motorsports teams, and he founded Malaysia’s first sports car company. Sekhar has presented a variety of papers at and participated in many international conferences including the International Human Rights Conference in Brussels, the first Malaysian International Youth Conference for Unity in Kuala Lumpur, the Asia Europe Young Leaders Conference in Ireland, the New Asian Leaders Retreat in Seoul, South Korea programmer for the World Economic Forum, the WEF's Davos Annual meeting, he was the Chair of the first New Asian Leaders–Emerging Arab Leaders Summit in Langkawi, which was attended by King  Abdullah II of Jordan, and he was a speaker at the 2005 Forbes Global CEO Conference in Sydney. He is the Chairman of the Vinod Sekhar Foundation (which he founded and which currently plays a role in the lives of over 12,000 children globally), the Chairman of the Pelita Harapan (Lantern of Hope) for terminally ill children, the Co-Chairman of the Innocent Child Appeal Fund Board for abused children, and the Chairman of the Sitavani Foundation. He was also the founding President of Malaysian Muda, the first nonpartisan multiracial national youth organization created to develop unity among Malaysian youth , where he warned of polarization among young Malaysians two decades before the government finally acknowledged it was out of control. In 1991, he was made the first and youngest Asian fellow of Kappa Delta Pi, a US-based international Honors Society for Education for his contribution to the globalization of education. The organization awarded its "The Point of Excellence" award to his company, the first Asian company to be so honored. Sekhar was 26 years old and one of the youngest to be so honored. The World Economic Forum named him as one of its 40 "New Asian Leaders" (NAL ). Grant Thornton named him the Malaysian Corporate Leader of the Year in August 2008. In September 2020, Sekhar launched The Vibes, an online news publication covering Malaysian news. The news publication is spearheaded by Terence Fernandez, former managing editor of Malay Mail, alongside many former journalists from major publications. Literary works. He has written several plays and a book of poetry. One of his plays, "In the Mind’s Eye", was produced with success in the US, UK and Malaysia. Sekhar also hosted Malaysia's first English language talk show on television. In 2013, Sekhar produced the Indian Film "Liar 's Dice" which features the story of Kamala, a young woman from Chitkul village and her girl child Manya, who embarks on a journey leaving their native land in search for her missing husband.