Jeanne Abdullah

Jeanne Abdullah
Born	(1953-07-29) July 29, 1953 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Occupation	Hotel industry professional
Known for	Spouse of the prime minister of Malaysia (2007–2009)

Jeanne Abdullah (née Danker; born 29 July 1953) is a Malaysian hotel industry professional who held the role of spouse of the prime minister of Malaysia from 2007 until 2009, being married to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. She became Abdullah's second wife in 2007, following the passing of his first spouse, Endon Mahmood.

Before her marriage to Abdullah, Jeanne was wed to the younger sibling of Abdullah’s late first wife and oversaw operations at the Seri Perdana official residence. She has two daughters from her previous marriage. Although speculation about Abdullah remarrying had been ongoing for over a year, he denied such intentions earlier in 2007.

Early life

Jeanne Danker was born on 29 July 1953 in Kuala Lumpur into a family of Portuguese-Eurasian descent, specifically from the Kristang community originating in Malacca. She is the oldest among four siblings and completed her education at SMK Assunta located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

At 23 years old, she embraced Islam and married her first husband, Othman Mahmood, who is the younger brother of Abdullah’s late first wife.

Her professional background includes managerial positions within the hospitality sector at Kuala Lumpur Hilton and Pan Pacific Hotel. During Abdullah’s tenure as Deputy Prime Minister, Jeanne managed his official residence and subsequently took charge of Seri Perdana, the Prime Minister’s official home after he assumed office.

Family

Jeanne is mother to two daughters from her former marriage: Nadiah Kimie (born 1978) and Nadene Kimie (born 1980). Nadiah leads a visual communications enterprise based in Kuala Lumpur, while Nadene is involved in fashion and lifestyle ventures.

Marriage with Abdullah

Jeanne Abdullah married Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on 9 June 2007 in an intimate ceremony held at the official residence, Seri Perdana, in Putrajaya. The marriage was officiated by an imam from the Putra Mosque, with attendance including Abdullah’s son Kamaluddin, son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, other family members, and relatives of Tun Endon Mahmood.

Following the wedding, they paid respects at Endon’s burial site located at Taman Selatan Muslim Cemetery. Jeanne’s first formal public duty as the prime minister’s spouse was participating in a banquet hosted by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei in celebration of Princess Majeedah Bolkiah’s wedding.

Abdullah stated that he had known Jeanne for over two decades and clarified that she was formerly married to Othman Mahmood, Endon’s younger brother. He emphasized that their union was not prearranged and noted that customary bersanding or hantaran traditions were not observed due to it being his second marriage.

Public life

In December 2007, Jeanne was named the second Chancellor of Open University Malaysia, taking over from Tun Endon Mahmood. She holds leadership roles as Chairperson of both Landskap Malaysia and the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre, serves as Executive Chairman for Secretariat Malaysia Prihatin, and acts as patron for the Paralympic Council of Malaysia.

In March 2018, Jeanne assumed the position of independent non-executive chairman at TRC Synergy Berhad, a publicly traded company on Bursa Malaysia specializing in construction and property development. She joined its board on 1 December 2017, succeeding General (R) Tan Sri Mohd Shahrom Nordin as chairman.

Honours

Following her marriage to Abdullah, Jeanne was granted the female counterpart of her husband's honorific, Dato' Seri, thus becoming known as Datin Seri. On 3 April 2009, the Malaysian King, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, presented her with the Seri Setia Mahkota (SSM) at the Istana Negara. The SSM confers the prestigious title Tun. This recognition was bestowed during the period when the Prime Ministership shifted from her spouse to Najib Razak.

Honours of Malaysia

• • Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (2009)
• • Knight Grand Commander of the Premier and Exalted Order of Malacca (DUNM) – Datuk Seri Utama (2007)
• • Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DA) – Datuk Amar (2008)
• • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (SPMS) – Datin Paduka Seri (2007)

See also

• Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia