Surin Upatkoon, a golf loving tycoon known for his low profile was born in Thailand. He moved to Penang to complete his education and has stayed in Malaysia ever since. He first rose to prominence at textile company MWE Weaving, where he started as a manager in 1971 before rising up through the ranks. He still owns shares in MWE.

Much of Upatkoon’s wealth comes from his sale of a 10% stake in 2013 of InTouch, a Thai telecom company. As well MWE, he also owns stakes in MPHB Capital, a company specializing in property and insurance, and Magnum Corp, a gaming company.