Life stories of Indian and South East Asian business leaders

Bhavarlal Jain, (1937-2016) founder of India's Jain Irrigation (https://www.jains.com/), the second largest global micro irrigation system

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +1100

All of the people in my books are outstanding entrepreneurs but, every now and then, one of them demonstrates an extra "something" which I can't easily or simply define. Bhavarlal Jain is one such person. Like most, he had an eye for an opportunity, but he had an unusual approach to admitting his failures. In 1997 he took out a half page advertisement in the leading Economic Times of India where he apologised to his investors and stakeholders. He said "I am sad that, for the first time since our inception, we have fared badly....... I feel it is my duty to account for, to own up, to admit my misjudgements and apologise." Do you know of any leading entrepreneur anywhere who has done that?

The interview is a little longer than normal but, for those who are interested in understanding the Jain religion, I think you will find Bhavarlal's explanation useful; not just to how it applies in day to day life but to how it relates to business.

But there is another reason for including his chapter in Profiles in Enterprise and that is his obvious deep love for his wife, Kantabai and her contribution to his success. As he put it "we were one person in two bodies - one soul in two bodies."

Please note that these interviews took place some time ago - over 25 years ago in the case of the South East Asian life story book and around 10 to 15 years ago in the case of the two Indian life story books. However, their stories are correct to the time of the interviews and the objective is to demonstrate the entrepreneurial skills they exhibited at the time of the interviews in building their businesses.

Washington Sycip, (1921- 2017), Founder SGV Group in the Philippines which in due course became the largest accounting firm in South East Asia and which later became a member of Athur Andersen and then Ernst and Young

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +1100

Washington Sycip, known to most as "Wash", bestrode the accounting profession in South East Asia as a legend in his own life time. He founded W SyCip and Co in 1946 as a "one man band" with the plan to make it the largest in the Philippines. He did way more than that. It grew through a merger to become SGV and then grew further to become the largest professional services firm - auditing, assurance and advisory services in South East Asia. In 1985 SGV teamed up with the global firm of Arthur Andersen. Wash handed over management of SGV the following year marking 50 remarkable years since his founding of the firm in 1946. Long after he retired, in 2002 SGV moved its relationship to Ernst and Young following the implosion of Arthur Andersen over the Enron scandal in the US.

For those who are interested there is an online free biography on his life - https://www.washingtonsycip.org/excerpt-first-chapter/.

Wash was very small in stature but he "lit up a room" and I would have to rate him as one of the most charismatic people I have ever met.

My interview took place in 1997 and, as a sign of Wash's sense of the future he made the telling observation that he was particularly concerned that, even back then, the United States was the dominant world player. He said 'if decision makers in the US do not understand Asia and, vice versa, then everyone is in trouble." As President Trump has just declared war on Iran, I think we could add "the Middle East".

Ambassador Alfonso Tiaoqui Yuchengco , Founder, Yuchengco Group of Companies in the Philippines (1923-2017)

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +1100

Ambassador Yuchengco founded the Yuchengko Group of Companies. By the time I met him in 1998 he was already 75 and had handed over day to day management to his eight children. The group is prominent in many business sectors and includes major companies such as Malayan Insurance, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation and House of Investments - https://www.ygc.com/

He has led an extraordinary life and, following his successful business career, has represented the Philippines as its Ambassador at the United Nations, Japan and China and held several other prominent advisory roles for Philippines' Presidents.

He also had an unusual childhood with one particular experience which, as an Australian, feels very strange to me. Several of his older brothers died at birth and his parents immediately adopted a boy in the place of the biological brother who had died. His parents were quite superstitious so, when Alfonso was born and survived, to protect him they brought him up as a daughter until he was 6 or 7.

Radhe Shyam Agarwal, co-founder and Chairman, Emami, born 1946

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +1100

Radhe Shyam Agarwal, is the co-founder and Chairman of Emami (https://www.emamiltd.in/) which is leading Indian conglomerate involved in the businesses of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), paper, real estate, edible oils, health care and cement. He is almost always referred to as RS Agarwal along with his co-founder and partial namesake, Radhe Shyam Goenka who is similarly almost always referred to as RS Goenka.

As you will hear the lives of the two founders are inextricably intertwined and in many ways they are alter egos and compliment each other brilliantly.

Venu Srinivasan, Emeritus Chairman of TVS Motor Company, born 1952

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +1100

Venu Srinivasan is one of the grandsons of the founder of TVS Motor Company, T. V. Sundaram Iyengar. Under Venu's "watch" TVS (https://www.tvsmotor.com/en/ec/About-Us/overview) has grown to be the third-largest motorcycle company in India by revenue. TVS is also the second largest two-wheeler exporter in India with exports to over 60 countries. In addition, he serves on the board of Tata Sons and as one of the vice-chairmen of Tata Trusts. He received the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award in January 2020.

Venu's wife Mallika Srinivasan is also a major Indian industrialist in her own right. She is the chairman and managing director of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited founded in 1960 by her grandfather. The company is commonly known as TAFE and is the second largest manufacturer of tractors in Indian after Mahindra and Mahindra. The life story of the late chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra, Keshub Mahindra is also covered in this podcast series.

TVS' relationship with General Motors of the US was also extremely important in the early growth of the company and many family members including Venu's father were sent to General Motors for training. Venu refers to General Motors as "GM" in the podcast.

You will also hear Venu refer to Professor Lord Bhattacharyya with huge respect and appreciation for his advice and assistance to TVS. He was a British-Indian engineer, educator and government advisor. In 1980, he became Professor of Manufacturing Systems at the University of Warwick and founded the Warwick Manufacturing Group. In 2004, he was made a life peer and became a member of the House of Lords. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 79.

Keshub Mahindra, former Emeritus Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra 1923- 2023

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +1100

Keshub Mahindra was born in Shimla in 1923 into a well to do family. Many in the family were educated at prestigious international universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and, in Keshub's case, Wharton.

Keshub's father, K C Mahindra (1894-1963) and uncle, J. C. Mahindra (1892-1950) founded Mahindra & Mahindra (https://www.mahindra.com/) in 1945. The group has grown to be one of the most respected groups in India with a dominant position in farm equipment (and particularly tractors where it is one of the largest producers globally) and in the automobile sector where it produces a range of SUVs and utility vehicles. At the time I interviewed Keshub in 2011 the group had over 140,000 employees. Today it has over 320,000 employees across more than 20 industries and in over 100 countries.

Keshub had a stellar career and was the Group's Chairman and Emeritus Chairman from 1963 to 2012. The only "stain" in his long career was that he was non executive Chairman of Union Carbide India at the time of the Bhopal disaster in December 1984 which led to the death of over 10,000 people in and around the factory . He and several senior executives were found to be responsible.

At the time I interviewed him in 2011 he was 88 and still extremely lucid with an excellent memory. I certainly enjoyed spending time with him and found him to be a true gentlemen of the old school.

I should also add this is a podcast episode where I have used Speechify to turn my written word into speech using AI with an Australian voice. Apologies for any imperfections but certainly my experience so far is that AI can read far better than me!

B M Khaitan, 1927-2019, former Chairman of Williamson Magor.

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +1100

The first thing that I felt on setting foot in 4 Mangoe Lane in Calcutta in 2012 where Williamson Magor has its premises is the enormous respect in which its Chairman, Mr. Brij Mohan Khaitan, was held. You could feel this respect from the security guards at the gate all the way through to the receptionist, lift operator and his secretary and on into Mr. Khaitan’s office where we met.

Immediately on meeting Mr Khaitan I was struck by the peace that seems to emanate from him. I guess I should not have been surprised as it is not uncommon to find this peace in elderly people who have accepted their lot in life, whether it has been full of success, failure or a mixed bag. And, boy oh boy, what a wonderfully interesting and satisfying life I learnt he has led.

Williamson Magor (www.wmtea.com) is one of the world’s largest tea producers with plantations and operations in India (Assam and West Bengal) as well as Vietnam and Uganda.

I should also add this is my third podcast episode where I have used Speechify (https://speechify.com/) to turn my written word into speech using AI with an Australian voice. Apologies for any imperfections but certainly my experience so far is that AI can read far better than me.

Arunachalam Vellayan, 1953-2025, former Chairman Murugappa Group, India, https://www.murugappa.com

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +1100

I received sad news this week that Arunachalam Vellayan, the former Chairman of Murugappa and a 4th generation member of the storied business family and a great grandson of the founder Dewan Bahadur Murugappa Chettiar passed away in Chennai on Monday 17 November at the age of 72 after a long illness.

This is my interview with Arunachalam Vellayan in 2012 when he was Chairman of Murugappa and he gave me a fascinating glimpse into the family history and the strategy the family has pursued. The group is one of India’s leading conglomerates and is a market leader in a number of sectors, including abrasives, auto components, cycles, sugar, farm inputs, fertilizers, plantations, bio-products and nutraceuticals.

The interview is covered in a chapter of my 2015 book - Profiles in Enterprise Inspiring stories of Indian business leaders published by Roli Books.

Like the interview just published on my interview with Anand Burman it is interesting to see how the Murugappa family has handled the role of women in the family and overall it is seems clear why the strategies of these two families have succeeded in modern India. What is unusual about the Murugappa group is its success internationally and particularly in South Africa.

I should also add this is my second podcast episode where I have used Speechify (https://speechify.com/) to turn my written word into speech using AI with an Australian voice. Apologies for any imperfections but certainly my experience so far is that AI can read far better than me.

Dr Anand Burman born 1950, Chairman Dabur Limited, India - https://www.dabur.com/

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 16:00:00 +1100

This is my interview with Anand Burman in 2012 and which is a chapter in my 2015 book - Profiles in Enterprise Inspiring stories of Indian business leaders published by Roli Books.

There will certainly have been changes in Burman Limited and the Burman family since the date of my meeting with Anand Burman but, in my opinion, the history of the Burman family is fascinating as is the way the family has successfully managed to make the transition from a small family business into the giant it is today.

And, as I mention in the book, from the hundreds of business leaders I have interviewed on their lives, Anand is the only one who explained the history visually by starting with a blank sheet of paper onto which he created a family tree.

I should also add this is my first podcast episode where I have used Speechify (https://speechify.com/) to turn my written word into speech using AI with an Australian voice. My next challenge is to clone my own voice into the system so it sounds more like me.

Dr Anji Reddy, 1941-2013, founder of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, India - https://www.drreddys.com/

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 22:00:00 +1100

As will become clear as you listen to this chapter, not only did Dr Reddy have a brilliant scientific mind but he was able to pick and develop drugs which were "winners". The world was indeed fortunate that his cousin persuaded him to study chemistry rather than history! The company he founded is now the 10th largest pharma company in India and in the top 50 world-wide - https://www.drreddys.com/.

This episode is my reading of the chapter on his life in my book Added Value (Roli Books, 2010)

Dr. Chaijudh Karnasuta (1921-2004), founder of Italian-Thai Development Public Company, Thailand, https://www.itd.co.th/

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 22:00:00 +1100

Dr Chaijudh's life is an illustration of how traditional Asian values, including respect for one's parents, can often lead to children following a career path chosen by one's parents, rather than what the child wants to do. Dr Chaiyudh wanted to be inolved in agriculture as a career but instead became a medical doctor following his father's preference. However, once his father had passed away, he chose business over medicine and, through a combination of luck in meeting Dr. Giorgio Berlingieri, an Italian and an instinct of the opportunities offered by the construction sector, the two them founded Italian-Thai Development Public Company which became a giant in the Thai construction sector. But, what is also fascinating for me, is that having resigned from day to day running of the construction business, he was able to return to his first love of agriculture.

This interview appears as a chapter in my 1999 book, Added Value - The Life Stories of Leading South East Asian Business People.

Deepak Parekh, born 1944, former Chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation, India, https://www.hdfc.com/

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +1100

Deepak Parekh, is both charismatic and modest at the same time. His life story is an encouraging example for young people everywhere who aspire to a successful corporate career in demonstrating that one does not have to rank first in class to achieve that corporate success. Whilst Deepak became a chartered accountant providing him with a core skill and experience, his corporate success came from his people skills, integrity, common sense and a deep instinctive understanding of the banking sector given his father, grandfather and uncle were all bankers.

This episode is my reading of the chapter on her life in my book Added Value (Roli Books, 2010)

https://www.hdfc.com/

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, born 23 March 1953, founder and chair of Biocon Limited, https://www.biocon.com

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +1100

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (born 23 March 1953) is the founder and chair of India's Biocon Limited ( https://www.biocon.com). Biocon is a global biopharmaceutical company changing patients’ lives in over 120 countries by finding new and affordable ways to treat diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Her life story is an inspiring one of not just persevering, but succeeding, as a woman in what was then very much a man's world in Australia and India.

This episode is my reading of the chapter on her life in my book Added Value (Roli Books, 2010).

As you will hear, there were two unexpected interruptions by the same young man to my interview with Kiran and which only go to show the enormous respect in which she is held throughout India.

GVK Reddy, born 22 March 1937, is a philanthropist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of GVK Group, a business conglomerate with a predominant focus on infrastructure development, https://www.gvk.com/

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +1100

Gunupati Venkata Krishna Reddy (born 22 March 1937) is a philanthropist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the GVK Group (https://www.gvk.com) a major Indian business conglomerate with a predominant focus on infrastructure development. He also heads GVK EMRI, the corporate social responsibility initiatives of the GVK Group.

As the President of the All India Senior Tennis Association and a tennis player himself, he has been a keen supporter of budding tennis talent.

This episode is my reading of the chapter on his life in my book Added Value (Roli Books, 2010).

What are particularly interesting for me are the stories of his mischievous and boisterous childhood and how all this changed as a result of what happened in one class in school.

Ir. Ciputra, born Tjie Tjin Hoan (1931-2019), a major Indonesian property developer and later in his life a significant philanthropist

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 01:00:00 +1000

Like all of the interviews for my books you may find it strange that I find each one unique in different ways. This is the only interview where I was first interviewed by the subject and, having satisfied him of my bona fides, it is one of the most unusual interviews I have ever done. It extended over several hours as, once Ciputra got flowing with his life story, he did not want to stop. But, as he had many meetings that day, he took me to them and this allowed us to continue in his car on the way to and from the various meetings.

I interviewed Ciputra just after the Asian Economic Crisis hit Indonesia in 1997. His group was significantly affected and it is my understanding he is one of a small number of developers who honoured his debts which meant it took many years for his Group to recover and continue to grow.

There is one haunting story he told me of the last time he saw his father. A distressing image of that has remained with me until today some 25 years later.

Rahul Bajaj (1938-2022) was Chairman Emeritus of the Bajaj Auto empire founded by his grandfather, Jamnalal Bajaj

Sun, 25 May 2025 17:00:00 +1000

Rahul Bajaj who passed away at the age of 83 in 2022 had a larger than life personality and, like many of those who I have interviewed for my life story books, was a clear business thinker. He was Chairman Emeritus of the Bajaj Auto empire founded by his grandfather, Jamnalal Bajaj and which was developed to become one of the largest Indian auto groups during his and his father's generation. He was awarded India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan in 2001.

Most of this podcast is my reading of the chapter on his life in my book Added Value (Roli Books, 2010) but includes at the end a story from a very small lunch he attended in Delhi with me, the then Australian High Commission and an Australian billionaire. Rahul's response to what I considered to be a most inappropriate question by the Australian businessmen is one of the most polite, but crushing, "put downs" I have ever experienced.

Julius Tahija (1916-2002) a leading Indonesian businessman and pre Independence politician and military officer.

Thu, 15 May 2025 18:00:00 +1000

Julius Tahija who died in 2002 at the age of 86 was an extraordinary man. As you will hear he followed a number of core principles which served him well throughout his life as a soldier (awarded the Netherlands Military Order of William during WW2 being that country's oldest and highest military honour) as a politician (holding several Ministerial posts in East Indonesia pre Independence) as a businessman as an investor in many businesses (via his holding company P.T. Austindo Nusantara Jaya), as a corporate leader (through his Chairmanship of Caltex Indonesia) and as a family man (to his Australian wife Jean and their two sons, Sjakon and George).

Ela Bhatt (1933 – 2022) founded the Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA) in 1972. From humble beginnings it now has over 3.2 million members.

Sun, 11 May 2025 17:00:00 +1000

Ela Bhatt was an absolutely extraordinary women who passed away in 2022 at the age of 89. The Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) she founded against strong opposition now has over 3.2 million members across 18 states in India. SEWA advances the rights of women workers in the informal economy such as those selling fruit and vegetables in the street. Not only did Ela have to fight long and hard to establish SEWA but that is not the only fight she had as it took many long years for her to persuade her parents to allow her to marry Ramesh Bhatt, the love of her life. As you will hear her long association with SEWA ended sadly but opened up another chapter in her long life.

As an indication of her global prominence in the area of the rights of women she was an inaugural member of the influential global problem solving group called The Elders (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elders_(organization)) which was founded in 2007 by Nelson Mandela along with other prominent members such as Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Graca Machel, Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu, Muhammad Yunus, Li Zhaoxing, Lakhdar Brahimi and Aung San Suu Kyi.

My interview with Ela is contained within my book, "Profiles in Enterprise - inspiring stories of Indian business leaders" published by Roli books in 2015 ((https://rolibooks.com/).

Professor Bala V Balachandran (1937-2021) was the founder, chairman and dean emeritus of Great Lakes Institute of Management in Chennai, India

Wed, 07 May 2025 09:00:00 +1000

Following receiving his undergraduate and post graduate degrees in Maths and Statistics at Annamalai University in his birth State of Tamil Nadhu, a young Bala Balachandran followed the path of many bright young Indians in the 1960s and moved to the US where he had a very successful academic and management consulting career ending as Professor Emeritus of Accounting Information and Management at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (which was ranked the #3 US business school in 2025 ). However he always yearned to establish a business school in his home state of Tamil Nadhu which could offer management training courses (equivalent to an MBA in the US) . This wish became a reality when in 2004 he founded Great Lakes Institute of Management in Chennai whilst continuing his professorial role at Kellogg. Under his guidance, until he passed away at the age of 85 in 2021, the Institute has gone from strength to strength. Great Lakes has been accredited by the Association of MBAs in the UK. It is the youngest and 7th institute in India to get accreditation from this association. Great Lakes is also accredited by the South Asian Quality Assurance System and by the US based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business which is one of the three bodies authorised to accredit business schools.

My interview with Professor Bala is contained within my book, "Profiles in Enterprise - inspiring stories of Indian business leaders" published by Roli books in 2015 ((https://rolibooks.com/).

Alluri Venkata Sathyanarayana Raju (born 18 April 1937), commonly known as AVS Raju is the founder chairman of Hyderabad headquartered Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd.

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 18:00:00 +1000

AVS Raju (born 1937) is certainly one of the most unique businessmen I have met. Not only is he obsessed with punctuality in a country where being on time is the exception rather than the rule but he is also a deeply spiritual man and a devout follower of the late His Holiness Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba who passed away at the age of 85 in 2011. So devout in fact that AVS has written over 17,000 short poems on this guru. When I interviewed AVS in 2007 his poems had been compiled to create a book over one meter high!

My interview with AVS Raju is contained within my book, "Added Value - the life stories of Indian business leaders" published by Roli books in 2010 ((https://rolibooks.com/).

Narayana Murthy, born 1946, is one of the seven co-founders of Infosys, the leading global technology company

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +1000

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy (born 20 August 1946) is an Indian businessman. He is one of the seven co-founders of the leading global technology company, Infosys and was at different times its chairman, chief executive officer, president, and chief mentor before retiring and becoming chairman emeritus.

Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine. He has been described as the "father of the Indian IT sector" by Time magazine and CNBC for his contribution to outsourcing in India. Murthy has been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri awards.

He is the father-in-law of Rishi Sunak, who was Prime Minister of the UK from 2022 to 2024.

My interview with Professor Swaminathan is contained within my book, "Added Value - the life stories of Indian business leaders" published by Roli books in 2010 ((https://rolibooks.com/).

Professor MS Swaminathan (1925-2023) - the father of India's green revolution

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +1100

Professor Swaminathan died at the age of 98 in 2023. He was an extraordinary man and it is said his skills in genetic engineering and his powers of persuasion made famine an unfamiliar word in Asia. There is a memorable story of his encounter with the formidable Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who initially refused to allow him to take up what for him was the role of a life time as Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.

The few words of advice he gave me as I was leaving his apartment after the interview have had a deep and lasting impact on me.

My interview with Professor Swaminathan is contained within my book, "Added Value - the life stories of Indian business leaders" published by Roli books in 2010 ((https://rolibooks.com/).

Sengkham Phinith (1940-2022), civil engineer and former Vice Minister of Construction of Lao PDR

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 17:00:00 +1100

Sengham Phinith was born on 2 December, 1940 near the Lao capital, Vientianne. He trained as a civil engineer rising to Vice Minister of Construction before being falsely accused, dismissed and exiled to a remote region for four years. The way he dealt with this cruel experience is inspirational. On his release in 1988 he founded a civil engineering consulting firm. He passed away on 31 January, 2022. This chapter appears in my book, Added Value -the life stories of leading South East Asian business people published by Murmeli in 1999.

Shahnaz Husain (born 1941) is the founder of The Shahnaz Husain Group of India which is internationally renowned for organic beauty care, based on Ayurveda, blending ancient traditions with advanced techniques.

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:00:00 +1100

Shahnaz Husain has built an enormous health care business from very humble beginnings starting in her New Delhi home. It is an extraordinary life where she was born into a conservative Muslim family, married at 15 and became a mother at 16, spent time in Tehran before being ordered to return to India by her father when he heard that Shahnaz and her husband might take up Iranian citizenship. That was when she started her business which was an immediate success. Her father did not allow that success to go to her head and demonstrated to her in a very simple way, as you will hear in the podcast, how transitory or temporary that success might be. He counseled her to balance her business success by developing a spiritual side of her life and to be more concerned about those less fortunate.

My interview with Shahnaz is contained within my book, "Added Value - the life stories of Indian business leaders" published by Roli books in 2010 ((https://rolibooks.com/).

Vijaypat Singhania (born 1938) is a member of the prominent Indian Singhania family having been chairman and managing director of the leading textile company, Raymond Group

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:00:00 +1100

Vijaypat Singhania, often known as VPS, has led an extraordinary life which is unique in many ways. He was born into a prominent and successful Marwari "joint family" whose original business was founded over a century ago, experienced an unhappy childhood at the hands of a "wicked stepmother", was betrothed at 12 to his future wife who was 9 at the time and somehow managed to combine a career as an industrialist with his "addiction" or obsession with flying a huge range of aircraft from microlights to Boeing 737s.

My interview with VPS is contained within my book, "Added Value - the life stories of Indian business leaders" published by Roli books in 2010 ((https://rolibooks.com/).

U Nay Oke was born into a prominent Burmese family in 1943 and is the founder of a well known English language school

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +1100

There is a chapter on U Nay Oke's life in my South East Asian Added Value book. However, I also interviewed U Nay Oke a few years ago for my Myanmar Oral History podcast ( https://myanmaroralhistoryprojectlifestories.buzzsprout.com) and, although it is a far longer interview than what is covered on the chapter on his life in the book, I thought you would find it interesting in providing an insight in the life of post WW2 life in Myanmar. For those who do not have time to listen to the whole interview there is a particularly interesting postscript story at 1.03 hours.

Phu Kok An, founder of Anco Brothers Cambodia (born 1954)

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +1100

Okhna (Lord) Phu Kok An has had a remarkable life. He successfully navigated the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime and the life threatening risks of being killed by pirates when he was involved in the early days of smuggling goods from Thailand to Vietnam during the US trade embargo. He then moved into the cigarette business and for many decades has been the exclusive agent for BAT in Cambodia and now represents other famous brands such as Evian and Budweiser. Anco Brothers is now one of Cambodia's largest private companies. This chapter appears in my book, Added Value -the life stories of leading South East Asian business people published by Murmeli in 1999.

Introduction to podcast on life stories of leading South East Asian and Indian businessmen and women