TO THIS DAY I CANNOT RECOVER FROM THE FACT THE WORLD'S RICHEST WOMAN WOULD FIND TIME TO FLY WITH HER ENTIRE ENTOURAGE IN HER PRIVATE PLANE ALL THE WAY FROM SYDNEY TO KUALA LUMPUR TO RECEIVE AN AWARD!
The world's richest woman who is enroute to be worth US$100 billion by next year with Kee Hua Chee who is worth slightly less.
Kee Hua Chee's fortune is infinitely smaller than Gina Rinehart's but even she admitted his rings were bigger and grander than any she has
Both Kee Hua Chee and Gina Rinehart are larger than life and grander than most!
Shalini Bhupal from Hyderabad India, Gina Rinehart from Australia, Nizar Najib from Deloitte and Dato Raymond Liew from McMillan Woods Global Awards
Shalini Bhupal, Gina Rinehart, Nizar Najib and Dato Raymond Liew
The utterly friendly, charming and humble Gina Rinehart has overtaken Christy Walton who owns Wal-Mart to be the world's richest woman
Gina Rinehart is now worth RM 57 billion according to Forbes or RM 91 billion according to Business Review Weekly!
Gina Rinehart and bosom buddy Shalini Bhupal from Hyderabad, India
Gina Rinehart, world's richest and smartest woman, smiles for my Leica
The lovely Shalini Bhupal from Hyderabad, India also owns coal mines and came with Gina Rinehart
Malaysia's first and only spaceman to fly into outer space Dato Dr Muszaphar Shukor and Indian businesswoman Shalini Bhupal
But this is what happened at the inaugural McMillan Woods Global Awards 2012 held on 1 November at KL Hilton's Grand Ballroom!
Gina Rinehart is supposed to be the world's richest woman with an estimated fortune of either RM 57 billion (US$18 billion) according to Forbes or RM 91 billion (A$29 billion) according to Business Review Weekly. Either way she is super loaded! I think all the Malaysian billionaires' combined wealth are less than hers.
Gina Rinehart is not the type of person desirous or in need of awards so her arrival at McMillan Woods Global Awards was a major achievement for the inaugural award. After all, she was not receiving a knighthood or Datoship so for her to take valuable time to fly into Kuala Lumpur meant she really believed and appreciated the McMillan Woods Global Awards' intention and purpose!
Gina Rinehart, despite her billions, was very friendly, charming and always smiling. In fact she did not appear hardnosed, hardcore or hardened shrew like some minor businesswomen I know! She looked more like a jolly granny with little make-up, natural hair style without any spray and little bling. She pointed at my massive jewels and said "I am so amazed by your stunning rings!"
She wore only a simple strand of pearls which were not massive either as they looked like only 14 to 15mm and not the 20mm I thought someone of her stature would don.
Datin Kok Yul Shin introduced me to Gina Rinehart who was in remarkably good spirits despite the bad timing---she had flown into Kuala Lumpur on 31 October only to find her court case hearing in Australia was decided against her. Her three eldest children (two from her first marriage) are suing to remove her as sole trustee of the family trust fund that holds shares worth some RM 12.6 billion in Hancock Prospecting, one of the world's biggest mining companies that are privately owned.
Hope Rinehart Welker, Bianca Rinehart and John Hancock are suing their very own dear mother! I am shocked to my bone marrow as I think they are doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons. After all, Gina Rinehart has agreed the children could now call upon their investments next April 2013 and so the case should be thrown out.
The children's case is frivolous and an abuse of the legal process as they could now seek to take their shares this coming April. The law suit was launched last September and now the New South Wales Supreme Court has decided it should go for a full trail at a date to be determined. I think the three should seek forgiveness from Gina Rinehart who has only their best interests at heart.
After all, why should a mother deprive her very own children from her own blood their legal rights and money? Gina Rinehart has so much money she probably does not know what to do with them and it is not a case of being forced to surrender her shares to her worst enemies.
Gina's youngest daughter Ginia has wisely sided with her mother and accompanied her to Kuala Lumpur. To sue your own mother is against nature and I salute and applaud Ginia for siding with Gina. Readers must read the names carefully as Gina and Ginia are so alike! Like mother, like daughter I say!
But in Australia they have this thing called Tall Poppy Syndrome. It simply means if you stand out too much, the rest will try cut you down to size so I guess poor Gina Rinehart is the tall poppy since she has so much wealth it beggars the imagination and many are simply jealous. These green-eyed monsters are trying to take her down a peg or two and 'cut her down to size'. In a field of colourful poppies more or less the same height, the tall one certainly stands out but this does not mean it should be penalised.
Her three children, Hope, Bianca and John have been described as 'lazy and spoilt' in emails now in the public domain and I hope once they get their hands on their inheritance they will not squander their loot.
Having met and spoken to Gina Rinehart I can say she is humble, friendly and not at all demanding. She is always smiling and looks very pleasant and she certainly is! If I were her, I would be carried into the ballroom on a palanquin by half a dozen servants and insist on sitting on a golden chair and have 2 servants stand behind me to fan me.
Gina Rinehart even brought 2 Cambodian girls to KL Hilton Ballroom as she is sponsoring their education. Gina Rinehart is involved with SISHA (Southeast Asia Investigations into Social and Humanitarian Activities) as she is a member of the Expert Advisory Group. Registered in Australia, SISHA is a NGO against human trafficking and abuse/exploitation of people in Southeast Asia.
Gina Rinehart sat with her back facing the stage rather than with host of the evening Dato Raymond Liew facing the stage. Dato Raymond Liew's his beautiful wife Datin Kok Yul Shin sat next to her and looked after her nicely all night long.
Dato Raymond Liew, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Shukor Haji Mahfar (CEO/DG of Inland Revenue Malaysia) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Kohilan Pillay
Chermaine Poo and Cheryl Poo (standing), Asriah and Nizar Najib the son of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
Nizar Najib, Cheryl Poo, Dato Raymond Liew and Kee Hua Chee
Kevin Withers, good friend of Gina Rinehart
In case you blinked, here is Kevin Withers again
Nizar Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak and Dato Raymond Liew
Nizar Najib looks like his father Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. His lovely mother Tengku Puteri Zainah is my good friend from Kota Baru, Kelantan so Nizar is half-Kelantanese
Shalini Bhupal, Gina Rinehart, Nizar Najib and Dato Raymond Liew
Indian Tycooness, World's Richest Woman, Malaysian Prime Minister's Son and President of McMillan Woods Global Awards
Not all award winners were sedate businessmen and accountants. Supermodel Amber Chia won Young Achiever Artiste of the Year
Amber Chia and Benjamin Toong receiving Young Achiever Artiste of the Year award from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Kohilan Pillay and Dato Raymond Liew
Amber Chia proudly holds her Young Achiever Artiste of the Year award
Winners of Industry Class
Winners of Industry Class
Emcee Chermaine Poo (Miss Malaysia World 2005) decides to help with the posing
Many eyes were on bra-less Chermaine Poo as she directed the winners to stand further out for the photocall
Gina Rinehart and Shalini Bhupal watching the award ceremony
The most beautiful winner of the evening was Miss Malaysia World 2005 Chermaine Poo who won Emerging Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award. Chermaine Poo who owns Chermaine Poo Productions, raised RM 100,000 in January this year for charity together with McMillan Woods
Catwalk Guru Benjamin Toong who models better than most female models, Chermaine Poo and Amber Chia with son Ashton Wong
Benjamin Toong, Chermaine Poo, Dato Raymond Liew and Amber Chia with son Ashton Wong
The ancient Chinese art of mask changing but this was the first time I had ever seen a mask being reapplied after all were changed and removed! Usually once the last mask was revealed and removed to show the artiste's face, that signalled the end but in this case the mask was magically replaced several times. The foreign guests were impressed!
Winners of the Master Class Awards
Dato Raymond Liew, Dato Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, his wife Datin and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Kohilan Pillay
Gina Rinehart and good friend Shalini Bhupal from Hyderabad, India
END OF PART 2
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