FORMER Business Times editor Datuk Hardev Kaur arguably has the distinction of being the only media person to have interviewed the reclusive T. Ananda Krishnan, who passed away on Thursday. We reproduce the interview first published on Jan 3 1996, providing an insight into a time just before the Petronas Twin Towers were completed.

TRYING to get an interview with reclusive Mr T. Ananda Krishnan is extremely difficult to say the least. He is notoriously publicity shy even though he has worked in the media himself. "I don't see there are many reasons for me to talk," says the man who is about to put Malaysia in space.

But once he had agreed to the interview, he was all ears. His secretary was asked to hold all calls and there were no interruptions at all during the rare interview in his spartan office in Kuala Lumpur - except for a reminder that it was time for lunch.

He understands the media business well enough, is fascinated by it and certainly knows a great deal about it. As a student he worked in a radio station and edited the college paper, and his son is a free-lance journalist.

He plans to put Malaysia in "space" literally when the country's first satellite - Malaysia East Asia Satellite (Measat-1) - is launched in a few days and the second, six months later.

Thanks to Krishnan, Malaysia will also have the best digital broadcast centre in the region, with state of the art digital technology, and the world's tallest building - the Kuala Lumpur City Centre's (KLCC) twin towers.

Yet, little is known of the man who has achieved much. Few in fact know that it was Krishnan who organised the Live Aid Concert, to raise funds for the Ethiopian famine victims in 1985, in London and Philadelphia.

To many, his name evokes awe and admiration. He has achieved alot and been to places many can merely dream of. He has met world leaders, both government and business, who are just names and faces in print and on television to many of us.

Krishnan's name appears and is mentioned often enough but the man remains elusive and keeps a low profile. If little is known of the man, even less is known about his personal and family life, which he guards jealously.

He is hardly seen in public and much less quoted in the media. "I have heard some people say I have a low profile. Why should somebody be high profile anyway?" he wants to know when asked about his low profile. "I am just doing my job. If you say I have a low profile, then by definition it means, I should be high profile. But why?"

He argues that shareholders would want to know what the chairman of their company has to say. Citing the example of Land and General, he says its investors would be interested to listen to Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah, chairman of Land and General.

As for himself he adds: "I don't see many reasons for me to talk. For the KLCC, there is Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin, who is a very effective spokesman for the company. He is certainly far more credible and effective spokesman for the company than I would be."

What is this discreet Malaysian tycoon and mogul like, up close - decidedly human, soft spoken, very modest and down to earth. Nothing escapes him and he gets his views across effortlessly.

A man of few words but nevertheless, one of action and obsessed with details. He does his homework well, too. He is said to have taken two-and- half years to scout the world in planning for the KLCC, seeking views and ideas from the best worldwide. "When we do anything, we plan it carefully and we bring in the best people."

He has a voracious appetite for work. "I don't come to office till after 10am but I would have started work before that." He works late into the night, "I am a late person working till 2.00 to 3.00 in the morning".

He has businesses spread all over the globe - in the US, Japan, the Philippines and not least in Malaysia. His businesses vary in nature just as the countries they are located in.

In addition to putting Malaysia in orbit via Measat, and the country on the world map with the tallest towers in the world - the KLCC - his other business interests include sports goods, oil refinery, animation studios in the Philippines - the Philippine Animation Studios - which, among other things, produces children's cartoons, he has been working on the Malaysian cartoon series, LAT, in animation for the global market.

His brother, Maya Krishnan, takes care of his oil business now. "It is not too big now," he adds. At one stage Krishnan had teamed up with Tom Cantwell, an American geologist, and they had purchased the rights to drill concessions in Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Egypt, the North Sea and the US.

In total they are said to have had more than 2.5 million hectares under lease.

How does he divide his time among the various businesses abroad and in Malaysia?

"It is more of dividing my time between my businesses and vacations as I do not work every day at normal working hours and I don't work the whole working year. At the most, I work nine months a year and then take time off to go bicycling, swimming and generally travelling around."

He touches "base" with all his businesses on each working day. "I take an interest in the business. I speak to them in the evening, wherever I am, every working day. But not for more than half an hour."

Krishnan says that his investments in the US are primarily investment businesses rather than strategic investments, and are usually leveraged buy-outs. "They are run by a very good team".

He has been roving the world for a couple of years, having set up operations and businesses abroad. Krishnan, who studied in the premier school in Kuala Lumpur, Victoria Institution, later pursued his studies at Melbourne University, Australia.

In Australia, he was introduced to horses as all his college friends' fathers raised and bred horses.

"I was always going to the races with them as, while in college, there was nothing to do on Saturdays. The only thing left to do was to go out with your friends and their parents with free lunch and outing thrown in".

While still a student at Melbourne University, his first business venture is understood to have been a small betting operation.

Horses, horse-breeding and equestrian sport remain among his favourite hobbies. He loves horses and goes horseback riding whenever and wherever he can. He also swims daily and goes mountain biking when abroad.

 An avid reader of newspapers, magazines and novels, biographies and he also reads the history of the countries he visits. Before setting foot on its soil, he studies all there is about the countries and, of course, learns even more while he is there.

 He reads children's stories as he has an animation studio. Among the papers which he reads are the Business Times, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune and The Australian Review. He reads the back copies of the newspapers when he returns from his sojourns.

 In addition to swimming every day he also does yoga. He loves the sea but by his own admission "am not a sailor but, I love boating".

 Having roamed the world for a considerable time he has come "home" and has spent a lot of time in Malaysia in recent years. He has very good reasons for going abroad before coming home, so to speak, some 15 years ago.

 The move abroad was prompted by economic and social circumstances at home, as it was difficult for the non-Chinese, Malays and Indians, to accumulate capital. As such, many in his generation had to venture abroad to do so.

 However, the New Economic Policy (NEP) changed the social structure which had worked against the non-Chinese in accumulating capital.

It has, according to Krishnan, opened up a host of opportunities not only for the Malays but the Indians and a number of Chinese who did not have the opportunity because of the old guild, clan and family systems.

With the NEP, many have been able to accumulate capital and the economic cake has grown "bigger than ever imagined.

 "It was good for us, in our generation, to move abroad". He did, and apart from accumulating capital, he also developed a host of contacts, valuable links and businesses along the way.

 But, as the saying goes, "there's no place like home". And for Krishnan: "It has been very satisfying...in the end nothing is more satisfying than investing in your own country...It is the single most satisfying thing," Krishnan says.

He should know after all he has traversed all the corners of the globe, lived and worked in them too.

Asked whether he has any regrets "coming home", he replies "Ask any (foreign and local) investors if they have any regrets investing in Malaysia over the last few years."

 He not only lavishes praise on the country, its administration and leadership, he has put his money here too. Between 1992 and 1997, for example, he has invested no less than RM9.5 billion in Malaysia and this only takes into account businesses in which he has some 30 per cent interest.

 Depending on what happens to the Asia broadcasting centre that is coming up, his investments could move up to some RM11 billion in the next few years.

 With such hefty investments, it is only natural that he should take an interest in the businesses. "I am quite involved, not in managing, but helping the management, giving them support and ideas", he says, while demonstrating an indepth knowledge of the broadcasting business.

 Basically, his management style is "hands off". Initially, however, he was "hands on ... as in the beginning, I only had my own two hands". But over the years "what has happened is that there have been better and better hands on people who have joined me, and now I have chosen not to be hands on".

 He explains that it is also his management style that makes for hands off. "I am physically separated from all the companies and I do not believe in the Malaysian concept of having the boss sit in the penthouse and everybody, on every floor, reporting back to him. Or controlling shareholders being briefed on every thing that is going on.

 "I know nothing about the operating results. Nobody reports to me, because I am just a big shareholder here. I don't have any rights to any more information than any shareholder. However if we see something going on then we take steps as any shareholder would."

 Nevertheless, he is hands on when he chooses to be and assigns the project to himself, essentially in areas that he enjoys most or if it is something new.

 He also chooses to be hands on at a particular stage of the project until such time it assumes operations and then hands it over to someone else. Currently he is very "hands on" in the broadcasting area... "I am very involved in all the meetings and finding the people".

 His interest and involvement in broadcasting and in the electronic media dates back to his school days. As a young student he used to take part in plays and a biweekly discussion programme over radio.

 Another area where he is very hands on is "finding people." I consider that to be the single most important job facing any group in the world today. Find, train and keep good people, allow them to develop their own talents and allow them to acquire discipline in those areas where they don't have any talent." This, he says, may be just as important.

 Talent is sought worldwide as "The only talent that we should find for Malaysia, is world class talent".

Experts who were in the employ of Hughes Aircraft of the US now work for Krishnan in the satellite business. There is talent which is among the best in the electronic medium putting the Broadcasting Control Centre and the earth satellite station in Langkawi together.

 These foreign world class talents allow him to create world class businesses in Malaysia and at the same time train Malaysians who will eventually take over.

 While he pays well he also demands and expects his employees to work hard, adding that "I demand that we live up to our commitments and not be careless".

 Asked whether it is difficult to find talent, he agrees it is "difficult, but not impossible". On whether Malaysian talent is as dedicated and comparable with that of Europe and the US, he replies: "Dedicated, definitely. Well qualified, of course!"

 Malaysia may not have as many (talented) people. But certainly, there is also the problem in the local working environment which is very hierachial where not much attention is paid to career development, career goals, communication with staff and creating a friendly atmosphere that motivates and allows people to develop.

 KLCC is a classic example of excellent local talent who have worked with foreigners with experience on world class projects.

Some foreigners are slowly going, except to the extent that the project is getting bigger and "we have to get more people and there are more Malaysians taking over - both men and women. We have women engineers on the site at the KLCC," he adds.

 He cites Petronas as another classic example of the development of local talent to world class management.

"Petronas is the only oil company in the world, besides Petrobras, the Brazilian oil corporation, that can actually develop offshore platforms. "So yes, Malaysian talent is excellent," he says proudly.

He knows Petronas well enough, having served on the board between 1984 and 1986. He has also served on the Bank Negara board.

 While Malaysians used to have an inferiority complex he says this has difference to us.

"As Malaysians and Asians have been deluged by Western communications and judged by Western standards, we do tend to feel that we cannot be as good," he says, adding that "It has taken us years to recognise that Japan can be as good."

 "I think Malaysians are increasingly coming to grips with reality of their ability to compete internationally." Malaysians who decide to stay and work overseas move up very fast in their careers.

"I have no objections to that because I think a number of Malaysians in Taiwan and India, for example, are going to come back and they are going to be very confident because they have reached the top in foreign environments."

 Krishnan is certainly included in the list of the country's richest men. It may be difficult to put a figure on his total assets but what is interesting is that here is a man who was not born with a silver spoon. He is the son of a senior clerk in the civil service.

 How did he get to where he is today? A lot of hard work, perseverence, patience and to top it all, he has an acute business sense. The businesses that he goes into are those of the future, not those of today.

 "We don't do the things that everybody else is doing. To make money you have to find tomorrow's business, make tomorrow's money. If your are trying to do businesses that are today's money, your margins are very small. Tomorrow's businesses you have to wait, but the margins are very big."

 The broadcasting business appeals to him immensely.

"First of all, all the boundaries are down, all the rules are broken as a result of technology, global standards and global tastes. And it's a business of intellectual asset which I happen to think is the greatest future business of all - the ownership of intellectual assets, the collection of royalties from it."

 Broadcasting is also capable of growing quickly with the infusion of technology and capital.

 He adds: "We would rather have a small piece of a good growing business than a big piece of a declining business." Neverthless he says the philosophy that he follows is "do not chase away opportunities".

 Asked whether he sees himself as the Rupert Murdoch of Malaysia given his interest in the media, particularly broadcasting, he replies without hesitation, "No, not at all."

He explains that his venture into the broadcasting sector is "not a quantum leap" adding "We expect to develop very good niche in broadcast and telecommuniation businesses in the Asian area - from India all the way to Japan. We will be in telecommunication as well as in broadcasting, which is different from News Corp, (one of Australia's leading newspaper publishers and owned by the Murdoch's family,) they are not in telecommunication."

Krishnan, with his satellite, telecommunications and broadcasting centre, hopes to provide customers and consumers with top of the range of services - 40 digital television channels for Malaysian viewers, eight digital radio channels, a global system for mobile communications, domestic and international networks

Asked whether he would do anything differently if he had to go through the last 20 years again, he in turn asks: "You mean like having a very wealthy father who gives me all the money that I do not have to work?"

On a more serious note he says: "Only in my personal life, not in my business life."

https://www.nst.com.my/business/economy/2024/11/1141683/ananda-krishnan-man-substance