Here’s an enhanced overview of Syed Mokhtar Al‑Bukhary’s family and background:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Tree & Personal Life

  • Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Al‑Bukhary

    • Born: 12 December 1951, Alor Setar, Kedah 

    • Parents: Syed Nor and Sharifah Rokiah—of Hadrami-Yemeni descent 

    • Siblings: One of seven children; he is the third-born 

  • Spouse

    • Puan Sri Sharifah Zarah Al‑Bukhary (née Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed Al‑Bukhary or Robiah Abdul Ghani) 

  • Children

    • The couple has 4–7 children, per different sources:

      • Goodreturns & Mabumbe mention five children 

      • Other sources round up to seven 

    • Names of individual children remain private and low-profile.

💼 Background Highlights

  • Raised in Alor Setar, briefly lived in Johor Bahru—left school early due to family financial hardship.

  • Began his career as a rice trader in the 1970s, showing early entrepreneurial spirit.

🏢 Business Highlights

  • Founder and controlling shareholder of MMC Corporation and DRB-HICOM, with significant interests in rice and sugar trading, ports, postal services, power generation, automotive manufacturing (including Proton), and more.

  • Principal shareholder in Media Prima, Malaysia’s largest media group, and owner of Utusan Malaysia via Media Mulia Sdn Bhd.

  • Holds infrastructure and auto contracts—like the RM2.5 billion Defence Technologies contract under DRB-HICOM—and partnerships including a 49% stake in Lotus Cars.

🎓 Early Life & Career Beginnings

  • Born in Alor Setar, Kedah, into a Hadrami-Yemeni family. Dropped out of high school to support his family during financial difficulties.

  • Began in rice and cattle trading in the 1970s; built connections that helped him secure licences from government agencies. Expanded into transportation and logistics with his own trucking business.

💝 Philanthropy & Legacy

  • Founded the Albukhary Foundation in 1996, inspired by Islamic values. The foundation operates globally and focuses on social development, education, and cultural projects.

  • Established the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (1998) and funded its gallery at the British Museum.

  • Launched scholarship programs (Albukhary International University, Albukhary Scholarship Program) supporting disadvantaged students and refugee education.

  • His philanthropic contributions have surpassed USD 500 million, earning Forbes Asia's “Hero of Philanthropy” title in 2014.

🏅 Honours

  • Awarded high Malaysian state orders including PJN (Datuk), PSM (Tan Sri), SSDK (Dato’ Seri Kedah), and DCSM (Datuk Wira Malacca) 

🌿 Summary

From humble beginnings, Syed Mokhtar Al‑Bukhary built a vast and diversified empire while maintaining a reclusive and dignified public profile. His legacy is equally defined by major philanthropic impact—particularly in education, Islamic arts, and cultural preservation.

 

 

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