Tan Sri Yahaya bin Ahmad (11 August 1947 – 2 March 1997)[1] was a Malaysian businessman. He was the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of the DRB-HICOM Group. He was famously known as Malaysia's "Car Czar".[2][3][4]
Yahaya Ahmad | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1947 |
| Died | March 2, 1997 (aged 49) Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia |
| Education | Malay College Kuala Kangsar |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse | Rohana Othman (m. 1979-1997) |
| Children | 4 |
Early life
editYahaya Ahmad was born on 11 August 1947 in Marang, Terengganu, Malaysia. He received his education from Malay College Kuala Kangsar in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. He was married with Puan Sri Rohana Othman on 17 January 1979 and have four children—Yatina, Nadiya, Aman and Faez. They lived in Kelana Jaya, Selangor.
Career
editDRB HICOM Chairman
editYahaya dabbled in the automobile world in 1985 during the launch of Malaysia's national car Proton Saga by then Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He was appointed as chairman of the DRB-HICOM on 1 January 1994. Through the company, he managed to capture the national carmaker Proton. In the 1990s the Proton Iswara and Proton Wira was launched. In April 1996, Proton Tiara was launched. Subsequently, in October 1996, Proton through Yahaya has taken control of the Lotus.[5][6] Then taken over by the Managing Director Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Salleh with Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff.
In January 1997, two months prior to his death, the Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim as the acting Prime Minister of Malaysia together with him, together solve traffic congestion around the city of Kuala Lumpur through the establishment of Intrakota bus (now RapidKL buses) that providing special access to public transport.[7]
Other roles
editAside from being the DRB-HICOM chairman, Yahaya also appointed as a Chairman of EON Bank on 12 January 1996, succeeding Rin Kei Mei.[8]
He also became the head of the Master Carriage group of companies' boards as well as a board member of Central Terengganu Development Authority and Kemaman Port Authority.[9] Yahaya and his family also owns Mega Consolidated.[10]
Death
editOn 2 March 1997, Yahaya and his wife Rohana were killed in a helicopter crash near Kuala Lipis, Pahang while on their way to visit his ailing mother, Mandak Omar in Marang, Terengganu.[1] After a mid-air explosion, the six-seater Agusta A109P helicopter plunged 2,900m into rubber trees just metres away from houses in Kampung Along, Jerangsang, about 40 km southwest of Kuala Lipis. The pilot Major (R) Azlizan Abdul Nanas from Batu Pahat, Johor was also killed. The helicopter, belong to Gadek Aviation Helicopter Sdn Bhd, one of DRB-HICOM's companies, was believed to have had engine trouble about 30 minutes after it took off from the Segambut helipad in Kuala Lumpur.[12][13][14]
On 4 March 1997, the couple's remains were brought back to his hometown in Marang, Terengganu and were buried in a Muslim cemetery in Marang. After Yahaya's death, the company was taken over by Tan Sri Mohd Saleh Sulong.
Honours
editHonours of Malaysia
edit
Malaysia : Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M.) (1996)[15]
Legacy
editIn honour of his contributions to the Malaysian automotive industry. On 15 July 1997, the training centre Institut Kemahiran Mara Pekan (IKM Pekan) in Pekan, Pahang was renamed Institut Kemahiran Mara Tan Sri Yahaya Ahmad Pekan (IKM TSYA Pekan). There is a street in Dungun, Terengganu was named after him Jalan Yahaya Ahmad.
References
edit- ^ a b "'Car czar' dies in copter crash". The Irish Times. 5 March 1997. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ Rajen Devadson (1 October 1993). "A czar is born". Malaysian Businesses. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ A. Kadir Jasin (22 January 1996). "Yahaya - the automotive king in the making". Business Times. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Yahaya's challenge". Investor's Digest. 16 December 1995. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Michael Harrison (5 March 1997). "Millionaire behind Lotus killed in crash". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07.
- ^ David Ong-Yeoh (31 October 1996). "Proton, Yahaya acquire UK's Lotus Group". Malaysia. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Laluan khas Intrakota atasi kesesakan". Berita Minggu. 26 January 1997. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Yahaya takes over as EON Bank chief". New Straits Times. 13 January 1996. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Michael Sun (16 December 1995). "The MCM triumvirate". Investor's Digest. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Azman Ibrahim; Baidura Ahmad (20 October 1995). "Yahaya: My family owns Mega". New Straits Times. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Ho, Wah Foon (4 October 1996). "National m-cycle Kriss hits the road". The Straits Times. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Zulkifli Md Ali; Shariffudin Mohamed; Azami Desa; Zainuddin Zain; Ramzi Sanny (4 March 1997). "Yahaya terkorban". Harian Metro. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Suasana pilu selubungi kediaman Allahyarham". Harian Metro. 4 March 1997. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Helikopter meletup". Harian Metro. 4 March 1997. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat". www.istiadat.gov.my. Retrieved 5 October 2017.