Nippon Paint tycoon Goh Cheng Liang, one of Singapore’s richest, dies at 98
The philanthropist had an estimated net worth of US$13 billion according to Forbes, making him the richest man in Singapore
[SINGAPORE] Billionaire and philanthropist Goh Cheng Liang, founder of Wuthelam Group, died on Tuesday (Aug 12) morning at the age of 98. He is best known for building his company into a global conglomerate that includes Nippon Paint.
Goh’s corporation owns a nearly 60 per cent stake in the Japanese paint giant to date, after both parties cemented a 1.29 trillion yen deal in 2020. This venture in particular consolidated their long-standing partnership by allowing his company to buy out joint ventures in different countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, China, and South Korea.
Born in 1928 in Singapore, Goh came from humble beginnings in pre-independence Singapore, and lived in a rented shophouse room on River Valley Road with his parents, three sisters and a brother until he was 12. He lived in Muar, Malaysia, helping his brother-in-law sell fishing nets during World War II before he returned to Singapore in 1943.
In 1949, after purchasing barrels of discarded British army paint at a surplus auction and mixing solvents and pigments in makeshift batches, Goh launched locally produced paint line Pigeon Brand. He then set up his first paint shop in Singapore in 1955.
The entrepreneur steadily grew this business into a partnership with Nippon Paint, the world’s fourth-largest paint maker. By 1962, it became the main distributor in the city-state for Nippon Paint, and is focused on the paint industry and property development.
The media-shy Goh was featured in Forbes’ list of Singapore’s richest for many years. In 2024, the philanthropist’s net worth stood at US$12.7 billion as the second-richest man in Singapore.
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The family’s other business ventures included the former Liang Court and Mount Elizabeth Hospital, both of which Goh developed and later sold.
Goh’s philanthropic work dates back to 1995, when he set up the Goh Foundation to provide a more structured approach to his efforts, with the help of the late president Wee Kim Wee.
Via the Goh Foundation, he contributed to initiatives such as the establishment of the National Cancer Centre in Singapore and its subsequent expansion to include facilities such as the Goh Cheng Liang Proton Therapy Centre, which provides patients with access to proton beam therapy, an advanced radiation treatment.
As a cancer survivor himself, Goh was committed to ensuring that the foundation’s contributions would serve as a catalyst to initiate essential medical research aimed at improving cancer treatment outcomes. His foundation also awarded significant grants to support children’s cancer research at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Viva Foundation and the National University Hospital.
The Wuthelam Group founder also championed research into better treatments for rheumatological and immunological conditions through the ARiSE programme at Singapore General Hospital since 2021.
The Goh Foundation has also supported developments in supportive and palliative care programmes with National Cancer Centre, in collaboration with SingHealth Duke-National University of Singapore Academic Medical Centre, which is also a beneficiary of the foundation’s grants. An example was his S$6.35 million donation in 2022 to the SingHealth Duke-NUS Supportive and Palliative Care Centre to improve quality of life for terminally ill patients.
His philanthropic moves extended to China, too, where he funded the construction of roads, clean water supplies, sanitation systems and several schools in Dawu Village, which was his ancestral village in Chaozhou. These initiatives were designed to modernise the economy and improve the community’s quality of life.
A statement on behalf of the family said Goh died peacefully on Tuesday morning with family members by his side. He is survived by three children, Hup Jin, Chuen Jin and Chiat Jin, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Hup Jin is the chairman of Nippon Paint Holdings and serves as a key figure in Wuthelam Group’s strategic direction and ongoing operations.
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