Forbes

Our ninth annual honor roll of philanthropists

making their mark on the region.

FORBES ASIA

THE LIST

40 Altruists

in Action

AUSTRALIA

Peter Hall 55

CEO & CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, HUNTER HALL

The founder of one of Australia’s largest ethical fund managers donates 5% of his firm’s profits and

up to 25% of his personal income each year to causes such as environmental and animal-protection

charities. He’s a director of the International Rhino Foundation and works to save the Javan and

Sumatran rhinos from extinction. Altogether he’s given almost $20 million to ocean conservation,

antiwhaling activism and animal welfare over many years of philanthropy.

The son of an Australian diplomat, Hall grew up in Thailand, Pakistan, Canada, France and

England. His passion for animals and the environment started early: At age 5 he saw animals being

herded along a Karachi

street for religious sacrifice,

and at 10 he was struck by a

Time magazine photo essay

on U.S. nuclear tests on

Alaska’s Amchitka Island.

He also developed an early

interest in the stock market,

after buying a secondhand

book on investing.

Back in Sydney, he

founded Hunter Hall in

1993 to invest in global

companies that he believes

do not harm people, animals

or the environment. “With

money comes responsibil-

ity,” he says. “Money enables

creativity and should be

used to help others and

make things happen.”

Paul Little 68

CHAIRMAN, LITTLE GROUP

Jane Hansen

CHAIRMAN, LITTLE FOUNDATION

This husband and wife donated

$10 million to the University of

Melbourne last November to

boost the teaching of history.

Ralph Sarich 77

FOUNDER & OWNER,

CAPE BOUVARD INVESTMENTS

His Sarich Neuroscience Research

Institute opens this year, thanks to

his $20 million donation 8 years

ago—part of his family’s more than

$70 million in grants over 20 years,

mainly to medical research.

CHINA

Li Defu 57

CHAIRMAN, YONGTAI VCANLAND

HOLDING GROUP

Gave $15 million to health care

causes last year, including to a

charity that offers emergency relief

for people with tumors and other

hard-to-treat diseases.

Lu Zhiqiang 63

FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN,

CHINA OCEANWIDE GROUP

Donated $107 million in December

to his alma mater, Fudan University,

a record sum for the Shanghai insti-

tution, to encourage entrepreneur-

ship, help poor students and foster

talent among the faculty. He gave

it $23 million earlier last year for a

School of Economics building and

an advanced institute of finance.

Pony Ma 44

CHAIRMAN & CEO,

TENCENT HOLDINGS

Pledged 100 million shares of his

Internet service provider—worth

$2.3 billion—to the Tencent Foun-

dation, which supports health care,

environmental protection and new

technology.

Wang Jianlin 61

CHAIRMAN, WANDA GROUP

He pledged $150 million to job cre-

ation, training and other assistance

in a 5-year effort to lift up Danzhai

County in Guizhou Province, a poor

region in southern China.

JULY 2016 FORBES ASIA | 87