Low Meng Tak

Low Meng Tak (1922 – February 27, 2013) was a Malaysian businessman and philanthropist. He is the grandfather of international fugitive Low Taek Jho who allegedly stole more than US$4.5 billion from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Early life Low was born in Guangdong, China in 1922. Low immigrated to Malaysia and Thailand in the 1940s, and despite being poor and uneducated started a business.

Career Low was an entrepreneur and a businessman, interested mainly in iron-ore mining, liquor distilleries, and wine making between 1960 and 1970 in China and Thailand. He also invested in real estate across Asia, of which a portion has been sold over the years. Over the years, Low Meng Tak diversified the family’s business into agriculture and aquaculture, plantations, commodities trading and equity investment, among others. The family fortune was consolidated in 2008 into a global family trust for estate planning purposes. The family's fortune was based also on the sale and development of the remaining land bank over the years.

His son, Tan Sri Larry Low Hock Peng, was the founder and an executive for an investment holding company called MWE Holdings Bhd.

Low Meng Tak died of leukemia in February 2013.

Honours