Career
Krishnan's first entrepreneurial venture was a Malaysian consultancy MAI Holdings Sdn Bhd. He set up Exoil Trading, which went on to purchase oil drilling concessions in various countries.[10] Later, he moved into gambling (in Malaysia). In the early part of the 1990s, he started diversifying into the multimedia arena.
He had business interests in media (Astro), satellite (MEASAT), oil and gas (Bumi Armada, Pexco), telecommunications (Maxis, Sri Lanka Telecom). He owned stakes in Tanjong Public Limited Company, an investment holding company with subsidiaries involved in leisure (TGV Cinemas) and property (67% Maxis Tower etc.).
Krishnan first came to prominence by helping to organise the Live Aid concert with Bob Geldof in the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he began building a multimedia empire that now includes two telecommunication companies—Maxis Communications, MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems and SES World Skies—and has three communication satellites circumnavigating the Earth.
He effected the purchase of 46% of Maxis Communications, the country's largest cellular phone company, from América Móvil, AT&T Corporation, British Telecom, Belgacom, Ooredoo, Orange S.A. and Royal KPN N.V. for $1,180 million—raising his stake to 70%. Maxis has more than ten million subscribers, with around 40% market share in Malaysia. He also owned a stake in Sri Lanka Telecom.
In an agreement between Astro and India's Sun Network, Krishnan planned to produce TV channels which cater to the Indian market, especially Tamil people in countries such as US, Western Europe and the Middle East. He also planned to offer TV services featuring Web-based interactivity. Ananda Krishnan owned stakes in TVB.com and the Shaw Brothers movie archives.
