Tengku Zatashah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zatashah |
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|---|---|
| Princess of Selangor | |
Zatashah in 2019
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| Born | Tengku Zatashah 12 October 1973 |
| Spouse |
Aubry Rahim Mennesson
(m. 2007) |
| House | Royal Buginese Luwu Opu Daeng Chelak |
| Father | Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Alhaj |
| Mother | Raja Zarina |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Occupation | Journalist, businessperson, environmentalist |
Tengku Zatashah, born on October 12, 1973, is a princess from the Selangor royal family in Malaysia. She is the second daughter of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who is the current ruler of Selangor.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tengku Zatashah was born on October 12, 1973. Her father was then the Raja Muda of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. Her mother was Zarina. Her parents divorced in 1987 when she was fourteen years old. She has an older sister, Tengku Zerafina. She also has a younger half-brother, Tengku Amir Shah.
School and University Studies
Zatashah went to Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur from 1978 to 1983. She then studied at a private boarding school in London, United Kingdom. In 1996, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She studied Spanish and French at Middlesex University in London.
She continued her studies in Paris, France. In 2001, she received a diploma in French civilization from Université de la Sorbonne. Later, in 2007, she earned a Master's degree. This was in International Relations and Diplomacy. She studied at the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy. She also attended INSEAD in France. There, she studied finance for business leaders.
Language Skills
Tengku Zatashah is very good at languages. She speaks Malay, English, French, and Spanish fluently. She also holds a special diploma. This diploma allows her to teach English to people who speak other languages. She received it from the British Council in Kuala Lumpur.
Career Journey
Tengku Zatashah has had a varied career. She started in advertising and hospitality. Then, she moved into journalism and corporate communications.
Early Career Steps
From 1995 to 1996, she worked in advertising. She was an account executive at BDDP in Barcelona, Spain. After that, she worked at Ascott Hotel in London. She was the Front Desk Manager from 1996 to 1997.
Journalism and Communications
Her first job in journalism was at New Straits Times. From 2001 to 2003, she wrote articles for the Life and Times section. She also became the Editor-in-chief of the Malaysian Association France. She held this role from 2005 to 2007.
From 2005 to 2009, she worked for L'Oréal Paris in France. She was the International Corporate Communications Manager. She helped with company policies. These included sustainable development and human resources. She also trained management for media interviews. She was important in managing company crises. From 2009 to 2010, she wrote a column for The Edge (Malaysia).
Business Leadership
In 2009, she changed her career focus. She became the joint managing director of Originalo Sdn Bhd. She worked with her husband until 2014. Since 2011, she has been the chairman and CEO of Light Cibles Malaysia. This company designs lighting for buildings and cities. Her projects include the Kuala Lumpur Lighting Master Plan. She also worked on Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur.
Since 2014, she has been a director at Kim Teck Cheong Holdings Berhad. This company distributes consumer goods. She is also a director at InNature Berhad. This company runs The Body Shop stores in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Supporting the Arts
In 2015, she helped launch the Selangor Symphony Orchestra. She became its royal patron. This means she supports and promotes the orchestra.
School Board Member
In January 2019, she joined the board of her old school. She became a Foundation board member of Alice Smith School.
Personal Life
Tengku Zatashah is married to Aubry Rahim Mennesson. He is a French film producer and entrepreneur. He was born on February 12, 1972.
Meeting and Marriage
They met in 2005 in Paris through mutual friends. At the time, Zatashah was working for L'Oreal. She was also finishing her master's degree. Aubry was asked to show her around Paris. For the first few months, he did not know she was a princess. She had introduced herself as a "diplomat girl." He only found out when he saw a card from her father. The card had a picture of her father in his royal clothes.
Aubry converted to Islam before their wedding. He learned from Dr. Dalil Boubakeur. He is the Grand Imam of the Grand Mosque of Paris. The couple married at the Grand Mosque of Paris on November 10, 2007. Dr. Dalil Boubakeur also led their wedding ceremony.
Wedding Reception
A wedding reception was held on February 28, 2008. It took place at Istana Alam Shah in Klang. Sultan Sharafuddin of Selangor hosted the dinner. The Royal Malaysian Navy served the guests. Tengku Amir Shah, Zatashah's brother, gave a speech. He said his sister was "funny and hardworking." Many important guests attended the reception. These included the then-Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah. Musicians from Gamelan Diraja Selangor entertained the guests.
Community Work and Environmental Efforts
Tengku Zatashah is very active in charity and environmental causes. She supports various organizations.
Supporting French Culture
In 2010, Zatashah became vice-president of Alliance Française Kuala Lumpur. Later, she was elected president. She helped expand their classes. She also increased awareness of French cultural events. In 2019, she organized Le French Festival. This festival included a large French Film Festival. It also featured live theater and dance.
Helping Others
Since 2015, she has been the royal patron of Make-A-Wish-Malaysia. This organization helps make wishes come true for children with serious illnesses. She is also a volunteer at Kechara Soup Kitchen. This group provides food to homeless people. She has volunteered there since 2015.
Fighting Food Waste
In 2016, she launched the #ZeroFoodWaste campaign. This was through Make-A-Wish Malaysia. She encouraged hotels in Klang Valley to donate extra food. This food would go to Kechara Soup Kitchen. She started this after learning about food waste during Ramadan buffets.
Promoting Eco-Friendly Habits
Also in 2016, she started the #SayNo2Plastic campaign. This social media campaign encouraged Malaysians to avoid single-use plastics. It became a big movement in the country. She posted pictures of herself and her family. They carried tiffin carriers to bazaar Ramadan. She also showed how she stopped using plastic straws. Instead, she used metal straws. She carries her own coffee cup and tumbler. This helps her avoid plastic water bottles. Because of her eco-friendly ways, vendors call her "the girl with the tiffin." In April 2019, she received an award for her campaign. This was at the International Dive and Maritime Expo Adex Singapore. She was also named an Adex Ocean Ambassador.
Fundraising for Charity
On October 8, 2018, she worked with CH Carolina Herrera. This was for a "Shop with a cause" campaign. Ten percent of sales went to Make-A-Wish Malaysia.
Beach Clean-ups
In May 2019, Zatashah hosted a beach clean-up in Pulau Redang. Volunteers collected 4,655 plastic water bottles in two hours. In July 2019, she hosted another clean-up. This was at Pantai Morib Baru. She and 500 volunteers collected about 780kg of trash. Nearly half of it was plastic waste.
Fashion for a Cause
She also launched a collection of hairbands. This was a collaboration with Sereni & Shentel. The collection was called SSxTZ. It featured seven special headbands. Their colors were inspired by Zatashah's personal batik collection. All the money from this collection went to Make-A-Wish Malaysia.
Awards and Recognition
Tengku Zatashah has received several honors. These are from Selangor, Malaysia, and France.
Honours from Selangor
- Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (SSIS) – Datin Paduka Setia (December 11, 2009)
- Sultan Sharafuddin Coronation Medal First Class in gold (March 8, 2003)
- Sultan Salahuddin Silver Jubilee Medal (September 3, 1985)
Honours from Malaysia
Malaysia
- Recipient of the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (September 23, 1999)
Honours from France
France
- Chevalier (Knight) of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (April 19, 2017)
- Officer of the Order of Academic Palms (December 3, 2024)
