Ep 49: Dato' Thomas Mun Lung Lee - Senior Partner, Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill & son of Tun HS Lee (Malaysia's 1st Finance Minister)

Dato’ Thomas Mun Lung Lee is a Senior Partner & founding
member of Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill - one of the
largest law firms in Malaysia. He was also previously Chairman of
AIA Public Takaful Bhd and AIA Malaysia Berhad, had directorships
at AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, was a member of the Appeals
Committee of Bursa Malaysia Berhad and Chairman and Non-Executive
Director Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd & Alliance Merchant Bank
Berhad. He also served on the Board of UMW Holdings Berhad,
Saujana Resort (M) Berhad and Bank of America Malaysia Berhad.





In addition, Dato’ Thomas was an arbitrator with the Court of
Arbitration for Sport, Lausanne, Switzerland and a member of the
Ad Hoc Panel of Arbitrators at the 1988 Commonwealth games at KL,
the Commonwealth Games 2006 at Melbourne, the Olympic Games 2000
at Sydney, Olympic Games 2008 at Beijing & Olympic Games 2012
at London.





Last but not least, he is also the son of Tun HS Lee - Malaysia’s
first Finance Minister!





In this episode, we cover Dato’ Thomas’ life story, beginning
with his earliest memories (of air raid sirens & bombs
dropping over Kuala Lumpur!) to then fleeing to India after the
Japanese placed a bounty on his father’s head, and how he
eventually made his way to the UK with his brother for his
studies at the age of 13. 





And his fascinating legal career, which included being in the
same pupil batch as Tun Hussein Onn (who eventually became
Malaysia’s 3rd Prime Minister) & Chan Sek Keong (who became
the 3rd Chief Justice of Singapore).





Highlights:


1:57: Earliest memories of air raid sirens & bombs

2:40: Fleeing to India

7:52: Living under the British imposed emergency rule during
the height of the communist insurgency

9:42: Travelling to the UK from Malaysia via a 3-week boat
through the Suez Canal

10:42: Studying at Leys School, Cambridge

14:14: Being guided to study law at St John’s, Cambridge
University

16:29: Working as a tourist guide at Costa Brava, Spain

18:36: Completing a pupillage at 2 Crown Office in the
1950/60s

27:20: What KL & the Malaysian legal scene was like in
the 1960s

28:54: Beginning his career in debt collection

30:34: Seeing Bannon & Bailey dissolve in 1963 &
joining Skrine & Co

31:15: Why Dato’ Thomas wanted to be like John Skrine

32:19: “Don’t harbour a grudge. Life is too short for that.”
- John Skrine

34:24: Working in the same pupil batch as Hussein Onn

36:12: Impact of 13 May 1969

37:57: Royal Selangor Golf Club

39:30: What Tunku Abdul Rahman was like in person

40:29: What Tun Dr Ismail was like in person

41:06: Setting up of Lee Hishammuddin in 1993

44:06: Turning down 2 offers to join the judiciary (including
the Court of Appeal!)

45:03: Whether he ever felt pressured by his father’s legacy






Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/49 





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