Malaysia:
Tun Ismail bin Mohamed Ali (1918 - 1998) was the second Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia
and the chairman of the Pemodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). He was born on 16 September 1918
in Port Swettenham, Selangor.
Ismail received his early education at the Malay School and
the Victoria Institution from 1931 to 1938. A prefect of Shaw House, he was also
active in the scouts, swimming, badminton and gardening. He was the second Malay student
in the country to win its competitive Queen's Scholarship. Ismail studied economics at
the University of Cambridge (1938-1941). He was stranded in England as a result of the
Second World War but read law in 1943 at the Inns of Court in London, Middle Temple.
Ismail returned to Malaya in 1946 after the war. He joined the Malayan Civil Service; Assistant Secretary of State Government (1948) - one of the first non-European officers recruited directly into the MCS. Ismail served as Assistant Secretary in the Economics Department of the Treasury; as Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) in the United States. Upon his return to Malaya in 1960, he was appointed Deputy Governor of the Central Bank and the Governor of the National Bank (26 July 1962). He held the post for 18 years until 26 July 1980.
Brunei:
Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah is Sultan of Brunei, reigning since 1967, and
has also served as Prime Minister of Brunei since its independence from the United Kingdom
in 1984.
He was born during the reign of his uncle Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin on 15 July 1946, in Istana Darussalam. When his father, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, assumed the throne in June 1950, he became the Crown Prince.
Hassanal Bolkiah's education at the Istana Darul Hana Surau began in the
latter part of 1955 and finished in the first week of 1959. He finished his third grade
schooling at the Jamalul Alam Malay School in Brunei
Town in 1955 when he was nine years old. For over four years, the Crown Prince attended
school at the Istana Darul Hana Surau before relocating to Kuala Lumpur to further his
education. He originally attended Jalan Gurney School before continuing at the Victoria
Institution from January 1961 to December 1963. Hassanal Bolkiah was named best
recruit in the V.I. Cadet Corps in 1961. By the time he left the school, the Crown Prince
had reached the rank of Lance Corporal .
He later enrolled as a cadet officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 1966, pursuing studies in English, mathematics, science, military science and international affairs.
After 17 years in power, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III voluntarily abdicated on 4 October 1967, making way for his 21-year-old eldest son. Abandoning his studies, Hassanal Bolkiah returned to Brunei to assume his father's responsibilities as leader of the country. He is among the world's few remaining absolute monarchs.
Of course, Brunei banknotes not only bear the Sultan's signature
but his image as well!
Hong Kong:
Julian Fong Loong Choon was the Chief Financial Officer of
Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong from 2000 to 2010. Standard Chartered is
the oldest and one of the three note-issuing banks in Hong Kong. His father,
Fong Chu Chai, had been an eminent prewar Victorian, who was the Nugent-Walsh
Scholar of 1940 and had
briefly returned postwar as School Vice-Captain in 1946. The first statistician
in Malaysia, Chu Chai lectured in statistics at the University of Malaya and was
Head of the Department of Statistics and Planning at the RRI.
Following in his father's footsteps, Julian joined the Victoria Institution from Pasar Road English School (2) in 1963 until 1969. He was an active student in the lower forms, participating in the 1st KL Scout troop, the debating and the junior science societies. In his senior years he was in the Science and Maths Society, the Editorial Board of the Victorian and the School Library. In his final year, Julian was a School Prefect, Captain of Yap Kwan Seng House and Editor of the Victorian.
Julian's career saw him as Senior Manager at the Royal Bank in Montreal, Canada; then in many management positions in Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore and Hong Kong. As Chief Financial Officer of the Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong, Julian had the honour of appending his signature to the banknotes issued by the Standard Chartered Bank.
In 2009 Standard Chartered celebrated its 150th anniversary as a Bank in Hong Kong. With the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's approval the Bank issued a special HKD 150 Banknote to mark the occasion. This was the world's first 150 dollar denomination banknote. Leading a small project team in strict secrecy, Julian launched the banknote on the Bank's 150th anniversary in September 2009, to the surprise of the bank staff and the public. Issued in commemorative packets, the notes are legal tender and have a limited circulation. Proceeds from these sales were placed in a Foundation to fund community projects.
Julian is now retired in Singapore.
The V.I. Web PageUpdated on October 1, 2025.