FRANCHISEE EXPERIENCE

Tan Sri Vincent Tan

Vincent Tan, is a Malaysian businessman and investor. He is the chairman and chief executive of Berjaya Corporation Berhad, which is in a wide array of businesses which includes golfing, property, resorts, and gambling in a group known as the Berjaya Group.

In 2010, he entered the Forbes billionaire list with an estimated worth of US$1.3 billion (RM4.2 billion). Tan's success in the Malaysian business sector has been attributed in part to his close association with prominent Malay political figures.

Tan started working as a bank clerk when he was 17 and got his big break when he bought his first McDonald's franchise. Sharing his experience, the Malaysian billionaire and philanthropist said it was his proficiency in the language that helped him acquire the McDonald’s franchise in Malaysia when he was then only 28 years old.

“I can honestly say this would not have been possible if not for my proficiency in English that allowed me to convince the people at McDonald’s that I was the right person to help introduce and grow McDonald’s in Malaysia,” he said to some 70 students from his alma mater Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tinggi Batu Pahat, here, today