Lee Kar Whatt

Lee Kar Whatt is cofounder and managing director of Eco-Shop Marketing, a dollar store chain with more than 400 outlets across Malaysia.

Lee started his career with construction and renovation jobs before setting up his own company in 1994.

He ventured into retail in 2002, and a year later opened the first discount store with his brother Lee Tiong Bin and two other partners.

Creador, a South and Southeast Asia-focused private equity firm, which acquired a 10% stake in Eco-Shop in 2019 for an undisclosed amount, has since sold its shares.

Eco-Shop debuted on Bursa Malaysia in May 2025 after raising RM974 million ($245 million) in the country's largest IPO that year.