Datuk Tan Say Jim

A tireless humanitarian, philanthropist and all-round ‘ideas guy’, Datuk Tan Say Jim has touched millions of lives around the world by seamlessly blending disparate technologies to bring to life many useful solutions to everyday problems. From creating electronic passports and electronic identification 20 years ago to investing in agriculture and introducing a flat-pack emergency home built-in-a-day, he has been steadily changing the way people think and do things.

Datuk Tan cares deeply about preserving and improving liveability on the planet, and wants to transform civilization sustainably. His compassion to help the underprivileged - from the poor to refugees and those forcibly displaced - has led him to build sustainable ‘Smart Villages’.

Each ‘Smart Village’ combines the technologies of integrated farming, renewable energy and a high-speed building system. He began by helping the Malaysian government build rural communities across Malaysia. The award-winning concept has been instrumental in empowering the less fortunate - providing them energy-efficient homes, offering them employment and learning opportunities, and putting food on their tables with minimal impact to the environment.

A fierce defender for everyone’s right to education, Datuk Tan also helms an institute of higher learning, advocating education as a potent tool and key to unlocking every person’s potential.