ECNETNews, NEW YORK, NY: The love story between Angeline Francis Khoo and Jedidiah Francis transcends wealth, as Khoo chooses love over a potential inheritance of over US $407 million from her father, one of Malaysia’s wealthiest individuals.
Angeline, 34, has made headlines for her bold decision to cut ties with her father, Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng, chairman of Laura Ashley. But who is the man who has captured her heart? Jedidiah Francis, affectionately known as “Jed,” hails from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and holds a DPhil in Statistics from Oxford University.
Jed’s educational journey began at St Mary’s RC School in Kingstown, culminating at the St Vincent Grammar School. He was recognized as one of the top students at St Vincent Community College, winning multiple awards in 2000, including best student in Biology and Mathematics, as reflected in a family ad from that year.
In pursuit of higher education, Jed joined the British Army in 2001, where he was trained as a soldier and became an Electronic Engineer. He was honorably discharged in 2002 to focus on his academic aspirations.
After gaining acceptance to Queen Mary University of London, he received a scholarship and completed a BSc in Biology with Business Management in 2006, graduating with first-class honors. His dissertation uniquely combined his interests by developing a statistical model to analyze the proliferation of “jumping genes” in mosquito populations.
This research opened doors for Jed at Oxford University, where he collaborated with leading researchers on statistical models of HIV genetic evolution. In a reflection on his success, Jed attributed his achievements to his faith and the unwavering support of his parents.
Francis met Khoo while studying at Oxford. Despite her father’s initial disapproval of their relationship, Khoo chose to marry Jed, stating her belief in what was right despite her father’s concerns.
The couple currently resides in London, where Jed has established himself as the head of data science at a prominent online fashion retailer, specializing in statistical modeling, data analysis, and machine learning.
