Nazir Razak wins Asia House Asian Business Leaders award

PETALING JAYA: CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak has been awarded the Asia House Asian Business Leaders Award for 2015 by the Trustees of Asia House in London.
He will receive the award at a gala event to held at Westminster's Banqueting House on Oct 13.
Nazir was selected as the recipient of this year's Award in recognition of his achievements over the course of his 26-year tenure at CIMB Group, a leading Asean universal bank, headquartered in Malaysia.
"It is an honour and a privilege to have been accorded an award of such esteem. This is recognition for the thousands of people who worked with me at CIMB to build a truly Asean financial powerhouse. I hope this award brings more attention to the potential of Asean as a place to do business and the opportunity to create value by pooling people and resources from various Asean countries," said in a statement yesterday.
CIMB Group operates in the high growth economies of the Asean region. Malaysia took over the rotating chair of Asean on Jan 1 this year.
Nazir spearheaded the CIMB Group's transformation from a boutique Malaysian investment bank to Malaysia's second-largest financial services group, the fifth largest universal bank in Asean, the largest Asia Pacific-based investment bank, and one of the world's largest Islamic banks.
He not only developed Malaysia's banking and capital markets, but had also created a world-leading Islamic bank – the second-largest Islamic bank in Malaysia – with a 15% market share that offers Shariah-compliant financial solutions.
"We are delighted to acknowledge the success and good works of Nazir Razak who has, among other things, underlined the benefits of cooperation and partnership across Asean through his support of learning, independent research and charitable works, as well as in his ambitious business strategy, demonstrating how a commercially successful Asean-wide initiative can bring people together for the common good," chairman of Asia House Sir John Boyd said.
Asia House is a centre of expertise on Asia and the leading pan-Asian organisation in the UK.
The annual award to those individuals who exemplify the concept of the 'Servant Leader'. The award highlights the links between economic success, professional excellence accompanied by moral leadership and service to society.