Dato' Hj. Rahmat Ismail was born on 10th December 1929 in Hutan Kampung, Kepala Batas, Alor Setar. He received his early education at the Kuala Nerang Malay School.
He started his career by joining the Armed Forces. Subsequently, in 1971, he started doing business while still serving the army. He started by opening a small food stall at the Lok Kawi army camp. After serving 21 years in the British Army and the Malaysian Armed Forces, he retired and concentrated full-time in business.
His name is no stranger to a number of businessmen within the Kota Kinabalu township, especially among bookshop operators in the whole of Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. He is the owner of Syarikat Rahmat Trading (SRT), which was the largest company in Sabah that handled newspaper and magazines from Peninsular Malaysia. In 1982, he formed a security service company, known as SRT Security Guards Sdn. Bhd. In 1992, SRT Security Guards joined forces with Edaran Otomobil Nasional Berhad (EON), known as SRT-EON Security Services Sdn. Bhd. Dato' Haji Rahmat is also the owner of Rahmat Publishing Sdn. Bhd., responsible for publishing general books for general reading and an English language magazine named 'Safety & Security Journal', specializing on matters concerning security and control. This magazine was first published in 1990, published every three months and distributed to the entire ASEAN countries. Apart from indulging in publications and security services, he also established SRT Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. and Sri Rahmat Restaurant. He is the Executive Director of SRT Holdings Sdn. Bhd., his own family company.
In appreciation of his services and contributions to the nation, he was bestowed several awards which include the Pingat Pangkuan Negara (P.P.N.), the Bintang Kinabalu (B.K.), the Darjah Johan Negeri (D.J.N.), the Kesatria Mangku Negara (K.M.N.), the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (D.S.P.N.) and the Darjah Setia DiRaja Kedah (D.S.D.K.). His strong spirit as well as his honest and sincere intention to improve himself, under any circumstances, qualify Dato' Hj. Rahmat to be an exemplary social figure, economic expert or a community leader, even though he was unable to pursue a higher academic qualification during his younger days. This is a typical example of 'IF THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY'.
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