KUALA LUMPUR: From his humble beginning as a goldsmith based in Johor in the 1980s, Tan Sri Nelson Tan Jyh Yaong has emerged as a successful director, business partner and investor in a diversified group of businesses.
Through successive years of keen business acumen and unswerving objective towards partnership benefits sharing, his businesses have flourished through a vast global network.
The business magnate and philanthropist holds various positions in more than 15 companies, including in China and Hong Kong.
And he is always on the lookout to invest into other businesses and help it grow and succeed. If the right opportunity comes knocking on the door and if the circumstances are timely, Nelson said he would pursue it.
His current investments encompasses food and beverage (F&B), agriculture, mining, trading, property development, hospitality, refinery businesses including palm oil mill and plantation management.
Chee Kian said that Nelson’s exposure in China and Hong Kong is invaluable and a boon to the group. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star
In a candid interview, Nelson said he made a bold move in the mid-1990s to come to Kuala Lumpur and set up a goldsmith business outlet called Yuan Yew Goldsmith.
That was the turning point, he added and through collaborations with the relevant parties he became a business partner in China-based Perfect (China) Ltd, where he is currently an executive director.
Through teamwork and being forthright, which are among the mantras that have spurred his achievements in various businesses, he said Perfect (China) is now one of the top 10 brands in the world and one of the top five brands in China in the direct selling business.
In the past five years, the company raked in an average turnover of 20bil yuan (US$3bil or RM13bil).
Nelson’s wide expertise in commodities led him to the chairmanship of Hong Kong-based Perfect Hexagon Ltd.
Under his leadership, the company achieved a turnover of US$2bil (RM8.4bil) in 2018 and US$7bil (RM29bil) in 2019. Turnover for 2020 stood at US$3.8bil (RM15.9bil).
Perfect Hexagon is an established commodity trading company with strong regional presence in Asia, Europe, Australia and South America.
The company is the most active liquidity provider of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd (HKEX), London Metal Exchange (LME) and US Dollar Precious Metal Contracts.
He has also been lending his expertise to local diversified group Ikhasas as a business partner and shareholder.
Under the group, he is the shareholder of Sri Jelutong Palm Oil Mill Sdn Bhd, Liquid Palm Miller Sdn Bhd and Liquid Palm Grower Sdn Bhd.
Nelson said, among other things, Ikhasas also intends to go upstream in the palm oil business and market it to international markets.
Ikhasas Group chief executive Tan Chee Kian said Nelson’s exposure in China and Hong Kong is invaluable and a boon to the group.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said Nelson has been inspirational to Ikhasas and has motivated the company to look on the brighter side.
“He is always willing to share his experience and how to go about handling a situation. He is always upbeat and banks on quality projects and does not compromise anything short of quality.
“Another thing about Nelson is that he is always willing to help and give sound advice to the younger group in the company on how to tackle and resolve issues.
“He is a firm believer in having a good team spirit and team work in executing a business plan,” Chee Kian added.
Ikhasas is involved in a wide array of businesses, which comprise property, engineering, construction, plantation, technology, hospitality, F&B, events and entertainment.
As a philanthropist, Nelson is a firm believer in the motto “from society, for society”.
This has allowed him to break through the barriers of race, religion and ethnicity, earning him recognition as a charitable leader.
In the past two decades, he has sponsored scholarships, raising funds for the establishment of schools, financing rural village development projects and contributing funding towards various initiatives for the development of various scholastic pursuits for the needy in the region of over HK$100mil (RM54mil).