Milestones

Malaysia was one of the largest tin producers in the world, and tin mining was a major contributor to the country’s economy. Once a tin-mining wasteland, Sunway City Kuala Lumpur’s transformation began in mid-1980s.

Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah AO, Founder and Chairman of Sunway Group (centre), articulated his vision to Tan Sri Sabaruddin Chik, Malaysia’s former Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister (right), at the site of the 800-acre mining land, now known as Sunway City Kuala Lumpur.

The construction of Sunway Lagoon marks the first entertainment theme park in town.

Owned and governed by the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF), Sunway Education Group (SEG), which started out as Sunway College, has evolved into one of the most prominent education groups in the country, offering education of the highest standard. SEG has since forged partnerships with preeminent institutions including Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Lancaster University, University of California, Berkeley, and Le Cordon Bleu International. SEG was awarded an overall 5-star rating in the QS Stars University Ratings from 2018 to 2021, as well as 5-stars in each of these individual categories: teaching, facilities, employability, social responsibility and inclusiveness. The university also holds a Tier-5 “Excellent” rating in the national SETARA quality assessment, which has been upheld since 2009.

Spanning 88 vibrant acres, Sunway Lagoon is one of the most celebrated theme parks in the country with over 90 rides and attractions catered for all ages. It is Malaysia’s first theme park built 150 feet below ground level on a tin-mining wasteland, and is the only attraction in the world to win Asia’s Best Attraction for 4 consecutive years, awarded by the International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions (IAAPA).

Menara Sunway is Sunway Group’s 19-storey global headquarters in Sunway City. Flanked by 6 major highways and various public transportation systems, Menara Sunway is home to the group’s 13 business divisions: Property, Construction, Education, Healthcare, Hospitality, Malls, Leisure, Trading & Manufacturing, Building Materials, Quarry, Investment & Financial Services, Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and Digital.

Sunway Resort Hotel welcomes guests from around the world with timeless neo-classic details, complemented by African safari-inspired domes and minarets. The flagship 5-star hotel is part of a collection of three hotels in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, each with its own unique style and character with over 1,500 guest rooms, suites and pool villas that are ideal for both leisure and business travellers.

Sunway Pyramid is the first Egyptian-inspired themed mall in Malaysia with an iconic 9-storey lion statue at its main entrance. The mall spans over 4 million square feet and is ever expanding. With 4 shopping precincts and close to 1,000 retail outlets, Sunway Pyramid is also home to one of Malaysia’s first ice-skating rinks. The latest expansion, which will connect the existing mall with Sunway Lagoon, will make Sunway Pyramid one of the largest malls in the world.

Monash University Malaysia is the first foreign university established in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur. It is a research-based university and is ranked among the Top 100 universities* in the world. Monash University Malaysia is also home to the renowned Brain Research Institute Monash Sunway (BRIMS). This internationally recognised platform collaborates with the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) to provide a platform for neuroscience research.

Sunway Medical Centre (SMC) is a leading multi-specialty tertiary hospital since 1999. SMC has 25 Centres of Excellence supported by state-of-the-art equipment and over 190 specialist consultants delivering care in a variety of medical specialties. It is the first hospital in Southeast Asia to receive full accreditation from the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS). SMC is expanding to include a new 10-storey Centre for Advanced Medicine to complement the existing medical centre.

Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah AO, has endowed, in perpetuity, his equity in the educational institutions of Sunway Education Group valued at RM1 billion into the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF), staying true to his commitment to advancing education. The JCF is Malaysia’s largest education-driven social enterprise. Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah AO plans to award RM1 billion in scholarships to deserving students in his lifetime.

The Amazing Sunway City Kuala Lumpur is a preferred tourist destination in Southeast Asia, featuring 7 key components namely Malls, Hospitality, Leisure, Education, Healthcare, Residential and Commercial. It is Malaysia’s first fully integrated Green Township as certified by the Green Building Index, in which a host of communities live, learn, work and play in a healthy, safe and connected environment.

The 27-storey Sunway Pinnacle is the first office building in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur to be accredited with Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status, providing world-class working facilities for its tenants. Sunway Pinnacle provides an optimal environment for the growth of ICT and ICT-enabled industries, having been designed with the needs of multinational companies and large corporations in mind. With a net lettable area of 580,000 sq. ft., Sunway Pinnacle complies with a range of top-notch industry standards, including Malaysia’s Green Building Index (GBI), Singapore’s BCA (Building & Construction Authority), the Green Mark Gold and MSC status.

In 2013, JCF forged academic ties with Harvard University to establish the Jeffrey Cheah Funds for Southeast Asia Studies. Under the Jeffrey Cheah Funds, the Jeffrey Cheah Professorship of Southeast Asia Fund and the Jeffrey Cheah Visiting Professorship of Southeast Asia Studies Fund were established in perpetuity. The Jeffrey Cheah Travel Grants for Southeast Asia Studies supports research and education-related travels to and from Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

JCF signed a statement of intent with University of Oxford that would enable both parties to embark on academic and cultural collaborations, including the 4th Southeast Asian Studies Symposium that was held in Malaysia for the first time in 2015. In the following year, an agreement was signed with Brasenose College, University of Oxford, to support two Fellows of Brasenose as Jeffrey Cheah Professorial Fellows in perpetuity.

JCF established the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia (JCI) in 2014 to conduct and promote joint research and teaching on economies, societies, politics and cultures of Southeast Asia. The mission of JCI was developed in collaboration with the International Academic Advisory Council (IAAC), whose members include luminaries from preeminent universities around the world. The International Academic Advisory Council provides advice on research priorities and academic initiatives, along with strengthening research and teaching ties with universities and think-tanks, including Sunway University and Harvard University.

Completed in June 2015, the elevated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Sunway Line is the first elevated electric bus system aimed at enhancing connectivity and accessibility in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, Subang Jaya and USJ. The elevated BRT-Sunway Line is a public-private partnership between Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) and Sunway, where eco and disabled-friendly electric buses run on a dedicated 5.4km elevated track. The buses service seven stations around Sunway City, linking the Setia Jaya KTM Station and the Kelana Jaya Line Extension Station in USJ 6.

JCF has fostered ties with Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge, to establish two Jeffrey Cheah Professorial Fellowships in Caius and support two Cambridge Professors. In September 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between JCF, Sunway Medical Centre and the University of Cambridge to promote collaborative projects in medicine.

Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) entered into a partnership with the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, led by Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, a world-renowned economist and champion of sustainable development. This partnership, through a USD$10million endowment, funded the establishment of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University in December 2016 to advance the sustainability agenda in Malaysia and Asia. In 2020, the Foundation committed another USD$10 million for the next five years to further the development of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Located in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, Sunway Lagoon Hotel opened its doors to the public on the 1st of October, 2016. It is conveniently linked to the west precinct of Sunway Pyramid Mall and features 401 Deluxe Plus guest rooms with views of Sunway Lagoon theme park and the city’s skyline. Sunway Lagoon Hotel is part of a cluster of three vibrant hotels in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, each with its own distinct character.

Opened in December 2016, Sunway Velocity Mall is a 1.4 million-sq. ft. lifestyle mall located only 3km from Kuala Lumpur city centre. Featuring more than 500 stores and services, it is a shopping haven for all who frequent the KL South.

Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs) was launched to foster entrepreneurship within the community and stimulate market-driven innovations. It functions as a startup incubator, runs accelerator programmes and acts as a micro ecosystem, encouraging the development of the startup environment within the country. It offers the startup community a complete network, connecting state-of-the-art infrastructure with experts, technology and funding. Sunway iLabs share the 3 vital ingredients for startups to succeed: Money, Mentors and Market.

Sunway constructed a water treatment plant in Sunway South Quay, which produces approximately 10,000m³ of water per day to serve a host of commercial buildings in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, lifting the equivalent of 15,000 households off the public water supply.

Sunway City Kuala Lumpur is now an economic driver, with more than 42 million visits a year. It is also home to over 200,000 residents, 25,000 students, and 150 species of flora and fauna. The progress made by the integrated township towards smart and sustainable living is underscored by its continued investment in a wide range of innovative structures. Sunway remains committed to enriching the lives of our communities, and working towards a brighter future for generations to come.

A new addition to the many Sunway hotels, Sunway Velocity Hotel is an energetic and exciting hotel with 351 rooms. This mid-market hotel is directly connected to Sunway Velocity Mall and features an express café, a boardroom and a rooftop swimming pool amongst other amenities, to suit every guest.

One of the most recent developments in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur is Sunway Geo Avenue, an integrated commercial centre. With seamless access through direct linkages to the Residences, Business Suites and Corporate Offices, individuals can enjoy the very best of entertainment, work, living, and convenience here.

Sunway’s not-for-profit incubator and accelerator, Sunway iLabs, launched its Sunway iLabs Makerspace with 5 initial industry partners, namely Google, NEC, Hitachi Sunway, Xperanti, and GE. This accelerator aims to equip students and entrepreneurs with a collaborative space, as well as tools for innovation. It also announced 3 new international collaborations with the European Commission-funded Southeast Asia Social Innovation Network, University of California, Berkeley and Silicon Valley accelerator, A3 Global Collider, all of which provide students and entrepreneurs with additional sources of capital, mentorship and links to international markets.

The latest Sunway Medical Centre is located in the integrated development of Sunway Velocity. Sunway Medical Centre Velocity (SMCV) is a comprehensive tertiary care private hospital that provides a range of facilities, amenities, and services to the Cheras and KL South communities. These include inpatient and outpatient care, 24-hour emergency services, various physician specialist clinics and diagnostic imaging facilities, as well as comprehensive medical and surgical services. SMCV is also equipped with an uninterruptible power source system and reserve generator for uninterrupted power supply.

Sunway College at Sunway Velocity was launched in July 2019 and is a brand new 113,500 sq. ft. college occupying five levels of the V Office in the integrated township of Sunway Velocity in Kuala Lumpur. Sunway College at Velocity is highly accessible through major roads, highways and public transportation including one LRT and two MRT lines.

Sunway Healthcare opens its first traditional and complementary medicine centre. Representing a holistic approach to medicine and health, Sunway TCM Centre marries the traditional and cultural practices of the east with the modern, technology-driven approach of the west.

Launched in September 2019, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC) is the largest biotech cluster outside the United States located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre houses 150 scientist and clinicians from the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID) who led the COVID-19 main response team from the University of Cambridge. The partnership between Sunway and CITIID aims to make substantive contributions to national and international efforts against COVID-19.

Sunway FutureX is a venture and skills-building hub based on three pillars: Farm, Talent and Campus. Located in the heart of Sunway City Kuala Lumpur and led by Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs), the 50,000-square-feet innovation hub houses Sunway XFarms, an agritech company addressing food security through urban farming innovations; 42KL, a groundbreaking coding school with a disruptive educational model with zero tuition fees, zero teachers and traditional classrooms; as well as a campus that acts as a centre for urban farming professionals, tech companies, researchers and young talents to collaborate and create transformative solutions.

42KL is the first campus of its kind in Southeast Asia with a disruptive educational model that breaks traditional norms. 42KL has zero tuition fees, zero teachers and zero traditional classrooms. Launched in July 2020, 42KL is a sister campus of the notable Parisian coding school Ecole 42. Now situated in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, the innovative education model equips students with the skills and aptitudes to thrive in a digital economy.

Sunway City Kuala Lumpur was selected as the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN) alongside Paris and New York City to coordinate continent-wide sustainability initiatives for Asia, the Americas and Europe as well as Africa respectively. In December 2020, Sunway University was selected to host the UN-SDSN’s SDG Academy, which plays a fundamental role in Mission 4.7. The global initiative, co-founded by SDG Academy and Global Schools, calls upon governments to ensure that learners acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attributes needed to achieve the SDGs.

Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs), launched Malaysia’s first Health Innovation Hub (HIH) in partnership with AstraZeneca. The hub will be part of the AstraZeneca A. Catalyst Network, an interconnected global network of more than 20 AstraZeneca health innovation hubs. Through the partnership, local start-ups and innovators will be empowered to address non-communicable diseases via innovative digital solutions.

Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC invests RM750 million in Sunway Healthcare for a 16 percent stake on a fully converted basis. This strategic partnership augurs well in supporting the expansion of Sunway Healthcare’s existing hospitals and the setting up of new hospitals and ancillary healthcare businesses across the country. With this expansion, Sunway Healthcare is set to become a leading integrated private healthcare group with a network of hospitals and healthcare services in Malaysia and Singapore.

Sunway Centre for Planetary Health will contribute to the advancement of planetary health through quality education, world-class research and making knowledge accessible to all. The Centre will also engage with people across the Asia and Pacific regions who are most vulnerable to the impacts of planetary health challenges. One of just a handful of such entities in the world, the Centre is based at Sunway University, which aspires to become the first planetary health-oriented university in the world, and is yet another demonstration of Sunway’s full embrace of the sustainability agenda and commitment to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals throughout the region.

Sunway establishes a long-term partnership with the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) to improve healthcare access for underprivileged communities living with HIV in Sabah and Sarawak. The partnership seeks to address the socio-economic barriers to HIV treatment, prevention and care services in the Borneo states of Malaysia. Officially known as the MAF-Sunway HOPE Borneo Project, Sunway will support the three flagship programmes under this umbrella initiative, namely the Teratak Kasih Tok Nan and the Sarawak Health Access Programme for Sarawak, and the SAGA Health Access Programme for Sabah.

Sunway Healthcare launches two healthcare centres in Kuching, the Sunway Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) Centre and Sunway Fertility Centre. These centres offer services to deliver treatments with a holistic and comprehensive approach, serving the growing needs of the communities in the Borneo states and other surrounding countries.

Sunway’s flagship five-star Sunway Resort Hotel unveils the first phase of its RM 270 million, once-in-a-generation transformation, cementing Sunway City Kuala Lumpur’s position as Asia’s leading fully-integrated premier hospitality and entertainment destination. Setting a new benchmark for business and leisure experiences in the region for decades to come, the reimagined 477-room property features cutting-edge technology and a wide array of sustainable features.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN) launches its newest office in Asia to lead continent-wide sustainable initiatives. The UN-SDSN Asia headquarters is one of only three such centres in the world, ranking Sunway City Kuala Lumpur alongside New York City, which oversees the Americas, and Paris, which oversees Europe and Africa. The establishment of UN-SDSN’s Asia headquarters is made possible through a generous gift of USD 20 million by the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.