Nazrin Hassan (5 May 1973 – 14 June 2018) was a Malaysian businessman. He served as Group CEO of Cradle Fund from October 2007 until June 2018.[citation needed] He died in a fire on June 14, 2018 at his home in Mutiara Damansara allegedly due to an exploding mobile phone.[1] However, evidence has since surfaced that he had died due to blunt force trauma to the head.[2]

Nazrin Hassan
Born5 May 1973
Kuala Lumpur
Died14 June 2018
Cause of deathBlunt force trauma to the head
NationalityMalaysian

Early life

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Nazrin Hassan was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to a Muslim family. He attended University of Buckingham and was an executive committee member of the UK Executive Council for Malaysian Students. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B hons) in 1994. He completed his Master of Laws (LL.M) in 1997 at King's College London.[citation needed][3]

Hassan married Samirah Muzaffar, a senior executive at the Malaysian Intellectual Property Corporation (MyIPO). The couple had one son, three stepchildren and a son from a previous marriage.[4]

Career

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Hassan worked as an executive with CIMB corporate finance department from 1997 to 2000. In 2001, he started Zarnet, a technology firm.[3]

In July 2003, Hassan joined Cradle as head of structuring, while it was called Cradle Investment Programme (CIP). He was later appointed as CIP's strategy and policy advisor in 2004. He left the programme in 2005, returning in October 2007 (now called Cradle Fund) as its chief executive officer.[citation needed]

Hassan was instrumental in enacting the Angel Tax Incentive in Malaysia during his tenure with Cradle. He helped to establish the Malaysian Business Angel Network (MBAN) where he served as secretariat chairman. He was a member of Technopreneurs Association of Malaysia (TeAM).[citation needed]

He was a board member of the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) from its inception in April 2014 to February 2015.[4] Hassan was a board member of Cradle’s venture capital arm, Cradle Seed Ventures (CSV) until death.[citation needed]

Death

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Nazrin Hassan died in a controversial fire in an upper bedroom in his home on the eve of Hari Raya and final day of Ramadan on June 14, 2018. He was 45 years old.[5] Initially, the post-mortem report claimed that cause of death was shrapnel from a mobile phone explosion.[3] On June 25, a forensic report stated the discovery of gasoline stains on his body, bed and mobile phone which led to the reclassification of the case as murder.[6] His wife and her ex-husband and other family members were detained in September, but released without charges.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

References

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  1. ^ "Kronologi kes kematian CEO Cradle Fund Nazrin Hassan | Astro Awani" [A chronology of the death of Cradle Fund CEO Nazrin Hassan]. Astroawani.com (in Malay). Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  2. ^ Bernama (8 April 2022). "Prosecution: Cradle Fund CEO was murdered; fire not cause of death". The New Straits Times. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Cradle's Nazrin killed by shrapnel from handphone explosion - Nation | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  4. ^ a b "Cradle's Nazrin: The unsung hero of Malaysia's startup ecosystem - Nation | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  5. ^ "Obituary: Nazrin Hassan, Cradle Group CEO | Astro Awani". English.astroawani.com. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  6. ^ "Stunning plot twists to CEO's death - Nation | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2018-12-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ Ram, Sadho (5 September 2018). "New Twist In Cradle CEO Murder Case After Wife And Her Former Hubby Remanded For A Week". Says.com.
  9. ^ "[UPDATE]: Cradle CEO Nazrin Hassan's body will be exhumed in murder investigation | Coconuts". Archived from the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  10. ^ "Cops to look into alleged threats against Cradle Fund CEO". Msn.com.
  11. ^ "[UPDATE]: Cradle CEO Nazrin Hassan's body will be exhumed in murder investigation". Archived from the original on 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2018-12-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)