KOTA KINABALU, Nov 2: Veteran banker Tan Sri Azman Hashim, 84, proved that age is just a number when he conquered the summit of Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia, on Oct 31.
The former AmBank Group chairman said he started the climb on Oct 30 at 8.45 am and arrived at Laban Rata, the halfway house, at 7.15 pm, The summit climb started at 5am the next day and he reached the top later that morning.
“I’m gratified of this achievement at 84, for me age is not a barrier and believe with determination and high spirit, everything can be achieved,” he told Bernama through email here today.
This marks Azman’s second climb in reaching the summit of Mount Kinabalu, which stands at 4,095 metres above sea level, with his first climb to the top achieved at the age of 71 in 2010.
Mount Kinabalu derives its name from the Kadazan word ‘Aki Nabalu’ meaning ‘the revered place of the dead’ and is also the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea.
When asked for his advice to the younger generation, Azman said his latest achievement further exemplified “one’s commitment to pushing boundaries and achieving new heights in every endeavour.”
“This achievement will also undoubtedly serve as an inspiration to all, across all generations, that nothing is impossible to achieve, and within our grasp,” he said.
Azman is one of Malaysia’s doyens in the banking industry. He joined Malayan Banking in 1966 and was its executive director from 1971 to 1980. He was appointed Executive Chairman of Kwong Yik Bank in 1980 until 1982 before starting out on his own with the acquisition of Arab-Malaysian Development Bank, which then had a staff strength of 200.
Azman then built it up to become a local financial conglomerate, AmBank Group, which now has over 9,000 employees.
Meanwhile, a Mount Kinabalu Information Centre spokesperson said the oldest Malaysian to have reached the peak of the mountain was Buatin Blandong, 90, who managed the feat on Sept 5 last year. The government retiree from Papar, Sabah had reached the peak of Mount Kinabalu eight times in all.
— BERNAMA