Caroline Russell (businesswoman)

Caroline Russell
Born1965 or 1966 (age 58–59)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
CitizenshipMalaysia
EducationAlice Smith School
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh (BCom (Hons))
OccupationExecutive chairman
Years active1988–present
SpouseMehmet Alguel
Children2
FatherTristan Beauchamp Russell
RelativesJohn Archibald Russell (grandfather)
AwardsForbes' 2020 Asia's Power Businesswomen list

Caroline Christine Russell[1] (born 1965 or 1966) is a Malaysian businesswoman with British descent, who is currently the executive chairman of the largest tea producer in Malaysia, BOH Plantations, since 2003.[2] She was listed in the Forbes' 2020 Asia's Power Businesswomen List.[3]

Personal life and education

Caroline Russell was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to her father Tristan Russell, the owner of BOH Plantations at the time.[4] She spent much of her childhood in BOH's tea estates in Cameron Highlands.[5] Her childhood hobby was horse ridding and at one point in time kept a pony at the highlands.[6]

Russell completed her primary education at the Kuala Lumpur Alice Smith School,[7][8][5] and her secondary education in Scotland.[5][9] She graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1988 with a commerce degree.[3][5][9] During her degree studies, she undertook an executive development programme at the Darden Business School of the University of Virginia.[9] Shortly after her graduation, she joined the marketing department of his father's company.[3][5][9]

She is married with Mehmet Alguel,[10] and they had two daughters, Natalie Alguel and Kathleen Alguel.[6]

Career

In BOH Plantations

Russell first joined her father's company, BOH Plantations in 1988 at the age of 22, after the completion of her commerce degree.[2][11] She was appointed to the board of directors of BOH in 1994, and later ascended to the post of general manager in 1998.[9] In 2002, she was tasked with the management of the company tea estates, and in 2003, Russell assumed the position of CEO in the company.[2][11] In 2017, she became the deputy chairman of BOH.[12] Two years later in 2019, she succeeded her father as the executive chairman after his retirement.[11][4]

As of 2019, she held a 1.74% share in JA Russell & Co, one the parent companies of BOH Plantations.[1]

Outside BOH Plantations

Russell is a member of the Governing Council of Yayasan Sime Darby since 16 October 2008.[9][13] She is also a trustee of Yayasan Hasanah, a foundation of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, as of 2024.[14][15] She is also the director of Tehdara Sdn. Bhd. and Nerada (Pty) Ltd, an Australian tea producing company.[9][12] Between 2006 and 2012, she was a general committee member of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI).[9]

Awards

In 1998, she was nominated for the Chivas Regal Achievement Unlimited Award. Russell was also a top nominee in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Malaysia) Award in 2004.[9] In 2020, she entered into the Forbes' 2020 Asia's Power Businesswomen List, which showed case 25 prominent businesswomen in Asia-Pacific region.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Ganesan, Vasantha (4 December 2019). "Part of Boh's lowland tea plantation put up for sale". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Kiel, Aaron (7 April 2021). "Malaysian Tea: a Q&A with BOH Tea's CEO Caroline Russell". World Tea News. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Forbes Asia Team (16 September 2020). Wehbe Watson, Rana (ed.). "Forbes Asia's Power Businesswomen 2020 List". Forbes. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Boh Tea, Russell Family's Legacy". Sparrow Publishing House. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e Gopinath, Anandhi (11 Jun 2012). "A Malaysian flavour". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b Izzah, Aina (1 October 2019). "From the Same Leaf". Malaysia Tatler. Photography by Khairul Imran. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via PressReader.
  7. ^ "Congratulations to our alumna, Caroline Russell (KLASS of 1974), Exec. Chairman of Boh Tea, for making it into @Forbes 2020 Asia's Power Businesswomen list!". Alice Smith School's Official Site. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  8. ^ Maan, Daween (2 December 2016). "Alice Smith School's 70th Anniversary Ball". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Yayasan Sime Darby Highlights of 2011/2012" (PDF). Yayasan Sime Darby. 10 September 2012. p. 13. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  10. ^ "Remembering Tristan Russell". The Sun. 5 December 2023. p. 11. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via PressReader.
  11. ^ a b c Khaw, Claudia (18 May 2023). "The 94 Y/O story of BOH: How a Brit who spoke BM & 5 Chinese dialects created the tea brand". VulcanPost. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Caroline Russell - Well Defined". Well Defined. 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Get To Know Us: The Governing Council". Yayasan Sime Darby. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  14. ^ "A decade of impact: Malaysia's largest foundation Yayasan Hasanah hits 2.9 mil people reached in 10th annual report". Yayasan Hasanah. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  15. ^ "Hasanah Team: Meet the Team Working to Build a Better Malaysia". Yayasan Hasanah. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
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