Teh Hong Piow (; 14 March 1930 – 12 December 2022) was a Malaysian banker and businessman. He was the founder, chairman, director, and adviser to the

Public Bank Berhad Public Bank Berhad () is a bank based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, offering financial services in Malaysia as well as the Asia-Pacific region. The bank was founded in 1966 by Teh Hong Piow, the then general manager of Maybank, Malayan Banking. ...

in Malaysia. Teh was one of three individuals in the country who were permitted to hold a stake of more than 10% in a domestic financial institution.

Biography

Teh was born in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

on 14 March 1930. He attended his formal primary and secondary education at the

Anglo-Chinese School Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Its students and alumni are referred to as "ACS ...

in Singapore. He has been married to Puan Sri Tay Sock Noy since 1956 and they have four children – three daughters, Lilian Teh Li Ming, Lillyn Teh Li Hua, Diona Teh Li Shian and a son, William Teh Lee Pang. On 12 December 2022, Teh died at the age of 92.

Career

Teh began his banking career in 1950 as a Bank Clerk in Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd and rose in rank to officer within five years. He joined

Malayan Banking Berhad Malayan Banking Berhad (doing business as Maybank) is a Malaysian universal bank, with key operating "home markets" of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. According to the 2020 Brand Finance report, Maybank is Malaysia's most valuable bank b ...

as Manager in 1960. Later in 1964, he was promoted to the position of General Manager at the young age of 34, then founded Public Bank Berhad in 1965 and commencement of business operation in 1966. He has since overseen its evolution into a modern and integrated financial institution with a wide network of 259 domestic and two overseas branches. One of Malaysia's wealthiest businessmen, Teh obtained three degrees at the

unaccredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

Pacific Western University The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

and two PhDs at Clayton University (also unaccredited) and

University Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

. His net worth was estimated by

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

to be US$4.7 billion, making him the 223rd richest person in the world and the 5th richest in Malaysia.Teh Hong Piow - Forbes.com
/ref> Teh was the Chairman of Public Bank Group. He also held leading positions in various organisations such as Public Foundation, Malaysia and LPI Capital Berhad, Malaysia (Group). On 1 January 2019, he had retired as a chairman but continued to stay on as an adviser to provide guidance and support the continued growth of Public Bank and the Public Bank group. Teh, who was also the non-executive chairman of the units – Public Islamic Bank Bhd (PIBB) and Public Investment Bank Bhd (PIVB) had retired as chairman on 1 January 2018. However, he stayed on as a non-executive director. Teh had been awarded around 45 awards during his career, including the award for ‘Greatest Malaysian Banker of All Time’ by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation.

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

(PSM) – Tan Sri (1983) * : ** Dato Kurnia Sentosa (1966) ** Justice of the Peace of Pahang (1967) ** MY-PAH Order of the Crown of Pahang - Grand Knight - SIMP

Grand Knight of the

Order of the Crown of Pahang The Esteemed Order of the Crown of Pahang ( Malay: '' Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Pahang Yang Amat Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Abu Bakar on 27 December 1968. It is awarded ...

(SIMP) – formerly ''Dato, now Dato' Indera ** MY-PAH Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang - Grand Knight - SSAP

Grand Knight of the

Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang The Most Illustrious Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang ( Malay: ''Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang Yang Amat Di Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah on 24 O ...

(SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2002) * : ** Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Johor The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor ( Malay: ''Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an Order of chivalry awarded by the Sultan of Johor. It was first instituted on July 31, 1886. It is awarded in three classes: *Knight Grand Co ...

(DPMJ) – Dato' (1973) ** Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar

Knight Grand Commander of the

(SPMJ) – Dato' (1974) ** MY-JOH Order of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor ribbon bar

Knight Grand Companion of the

Order of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor The Order of the Loyalty of Sultan Ismail (''Darjah Setia Sultan Ismail Johor Yang Amat di-Berkati'') is a knighthood order of the sultanate of Johor. History The Order has been founded in 1975. Classes The Order has the following classes of ...

(SSIJ) – Dato'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teh, Hong Piow 1930 births 2022 deaths Teh Hong Piow Anglo-Chinese School alumni Malaysian billionaires Malaysian bankers Malaysian company founders Malaysian chairpersons of corporations Knights Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia University of Malaya alumni